I can't go to the local clinic - my daughters friend works there so I just wouldn't feel comfortable . I've taken to doing At Home checks because if I have to travel - well by the time I've factored in travel costs plus loss of a half day or days earnings- it hits my pocket quite hard. So At Home screening all things considered works out cheaper. I checked with the Terrance Higgins Trust and they told me the tests are reliable. I'm just curious to know if anyone else does them

I think the home tests are great (and Monica's HIV one mentioned above is really easy, although terrifying ) but I still try to get along to a clinic a couple of times a year even though I don't offer any unprotected services and don't really need to go any more often than that anyway unless there's been some 'event'. It isn't just the swabs, it's the visual checks (inside and out) to make sure everything is as it should be and I like that they can pass up to date information on if they've been seeing a lot of cases of something.

Superdrug's online doctor service is top notch though. I've bought my contraceptive pills from there for years and they do all sorts of other stuff .

The finger pricks are no bother to me as I'm a diabetic, but I don't think I could do my own throat swab, as I gag horribly! I was slightly concerned when I went to Preston GUM (in civvy mode) for a regular screen recently and the nurse said they didn't routinely do throat swabs on heterosexual women as they considered the risk to be very low.

I agree that it's best to go to a clinic once or twice a year (even though many you swab your own vagina now, so nobody gives you a check). Even better go to a sex worker friendly one and make it known you're an escort.

I did finger pricks for an online private thyroid test last year, ended up using all the lancets and got into a sticky bloody mess. That test required a significant amount, whereas the FLASH rapid HIV kit works on a tiny amount which it sucks up itself by capillary action.