STI-7 Panel PCR
This PCR panel screens for 7 common sexually transmitted infections from a single swab sample. It offers high sensitivity and specificity for early detection, even before symptoms appear.
- DHA-licensed lab
- Includes Doctor Consultation
- Physician-reviewed
- Same Day Collection
48 hours
Turnaround
Urine or swab
Sample
What the STI-7 Panel PCR test tells you
This panel answers seven questions from a single sample. Multiplex PCR looks for the genetic material of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum: the organisms behind most cases of urethritis, cervicitis and unexplained genital discharge. It is the everyday screening panel: the right choice for a routine sexual health check or for straightforward symptoms.
Grouping these organisms makes sense because their symptoms overlap almost completely, and because several of them frequently cause no symptoms at all. Chlamydia in particular can be present quietly and, if it goes untreated, can affect the reproductive tract long before anything is noticed. PCR reads the organism's genetic material rather than waiting for it to grow in culture, so it identifies infections earlier and does not depend on the organism surviving the journey to the laboratory.
Reading the report means treating the seven as two groups rather than one list. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Trichomonas and Mycoplasma genitalium are pathogens, and finding one normally leads to treatment. Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis, by contrast, live in the genital tract of many people who are entirely well, so detecting them is only meaningful when it fits your symptoms and other causes have been considered. Whether a detected organism needs treating is a decision for your doctor, not something the report decides. Where treatment is needed, recent partners are usually tested and treated at the same time: this is ordinary clinical practice and it is what prevents the infection coming straight back.
Recommended for routine STI screening, when symptoms of urethritis or cervicitis are present, or as part of a sexual health check-up.
- Covers overlapping infections at once
Discharge, burning and pelvic discomfort look much the same whichever organism is responsible, so testing for the common ones together is faster than working through them one by one.
- Finds infections without symptoms
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea often cause nothing noticeable, and both are treatable, which is why screening does not wait for complaints.
- Earlier detection than culture
PCR reads genetic material directly, so it does not depend on delicate organisms surviving transport to the laboratory.
- Guides partner testing
A clear identification lets your doctor advise which recent partners should be tested and treated, which is what prevents reinfection.
Reasons your doctor may request the STI-7 Panel PCR test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
Discharge, burning & pelvic pain
- Unusual genital discharge, burning on passing urine, or genital itching.
- Pelvic or lower abdominal discomfort, or pain during sex.
Routine sexual health check
- A routine sexual health check, including when you have no symptoms.
Partner diagnosis & fertility work-up
- A partner diagnosed with one of the infections the panel covers.
- Assessment as part of a fertility work-up or before a planned gynaecological procedure.
A Not Detected result means none of the panel's targets were found in the sample you gave. It speaks for the site that was sampled only, and the panel does not cover HIV, syphilis or viral hepatitis, which need their own blood samples. A Detected result names which organism was found. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Trichomonas and Mycoplasma genitalium cause disease, so finding one usually means treatment follows. Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis live quietly in the genital tract of many well people, so detecting them matters only when it fits your symptoms. Genetic material can linger briefly after treatment has worked, so retesting too soon is misleading, and a detection can also mean reinfection from a partner who was not treated at the same time. Your doctor decides what a detected organism means for you, alongside your symptoms and history.
Medically reviewed by Dr Nirupama Sabhapathy
This test is reported descriptively rather than on a numeric scale: each finding below explains what your report may say.
None of the 7 panel organisms found at the site sampled; HIV, syphilis and hepatitis need blood tests.
One or more of the 7 organisms found; your doctor decides on treatment, which often includes partners.
Ranges are a guide: your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Active infection with one of the panel's pathogens, with or without symptoms.
- Carriage of Ureaplasma species or Mycoplasma hominis, which form part of normal genital flora in many people and often need no treatment.
- Reinfection from a partner who was not treated at the same time.
- An infection that a previous course of treatment did not fully clear, including resistant Mycoplasma genitalium.
- Genetic material still present shortly after successful treatment, before the body has cleared the remains of the organism.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests: your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- PCR detects genetic material, which can linger briefly after an organism has been killed, so retesting too soon after treatment can be misleading.
- Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis are commonly found in people with no illness, so a positive line for them is not automatically something to treat.
- The result reflects the sample that was taken: a genital sample will not identify a throat or rectal infection, which needs its own swab.
- The panel does not cover HIV, syphilis blood testing or viral hepatitis, all of which require separate blood samples.
- 1One sample screens for seven of the most common genital organisms together.
- 2Several of these infections are silent, so screening does not depend on having symptoms.
- 3Detecting an organism does not always mean it is causing the symptoms, and not every detection needs treatment: that is your doctor's decision.
- 4A negative result reflects the site sampled; blood-borne infections need their own tests.
- 5When an infection is found, recent partners are usually tested and treated too, as routine practice.
STI-7 Panel PCR also comes in these focused packages, which pair it with the tests usually read alongside it.
- STI & STDSTI-14 Panel PCR
This expanded PCR panel screens for 14 sexually transmitted pathogens from a single sample, providing broader coverage than the standard panel. Ideal…
499View - STI & STDSTI-28 Panel PCR
A broad STI panel screening one sample for 28 organisms by multiplex PCR: the main sexually transmitted infections plus Candida species and…
999View - STI & STDHPV PCR
HPV PCR detects human papillomavirus DNA and identifies high-risk strains (including types 16 and 18) associated with cervical and other cancers. It…
999View - STI & STDRPR (Rapid Plasma Reagin)
RPR is a screening test for syphilis that detects antibodies to tissue damage caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. A positive result requires…
55View
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the STI-7 Panel PCR test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→The panel screens one sample for seven of the most common genital organisms, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Trichomonas and Mycoplasma genitalium, which cause disease, as well as Ureaplasma species and Mycoplasma hominis, which often live harmlessly in the genital tract. Your report names any organism that was detected.
No. The panel uses a urine or swab sample and does not cover HIV, syphilis blood testing or viral hepatitis, all of which need their own blood samples. If you want a complete sexual health check, ask for those blood tests alongside the panel.
Your report names the organism found. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Trichomonas and Mycoplasma genitalium cause disease, so a detection usually means your doctor arranges treatment, and recent partners are usually tested and treated too, since an untreated partner can pass the infection back. Ureaplasma or Mycoplasma hominis matter only when they fit your symptoms.
Either can be used, and your doctor chooses based on your situation. For a swab, avoid douching, vaginal creams, pessaries and lubricants beforehand and, where possible, attend outside heavy menstrual bleeding. A genital sample will not pick up a throat or rectal infection, so mention symptoms at those sites, as they need their own samples.
Yes. A recent course of antibiotics, even one taken for something else, can suppress an organism enough to give a negative result while infection is still present. Tell the team about any antibiotic you have taken recently, as your doctor may prefer to wait before testing.
Yes, and it is common. Chlamydia in particular can be present for a long time without causing discomfort, which is why a routine check is advised regardless of how you feel.
Not necessarily. Ureaplasma species live in the genital tract of many people who are perfectly well. Your doctor will weigh the finding against your symptoms and the rest of the results before deciding whether it explains anything.
PCR detects infection earlier than culture, but an organism still needs time to multiply to detectable levels. A test done very soon afterwards can miss an early infection, so your doctor may advise repeating it.
Often yes, but the timing matters. Genetic material from organisms that have already been killed can persist for a short period, so a test done too early may read positive when the infection has in fact cleared. Your doctor will say when to repeat it.
No fasting is needed. If a urine sample is used, try not to pass urine for around an hour beforehand and collect the first part of the stream, since a diluted sample lowers detection.
The STI-7 PCR panel test is AED 399, including a physician-reviewed report, with results usually within 48 hours. Collection at home anywhere in Dubai, or at our lab, is free with this test, because it reaches the AED 300 threshold on its own.