STI Swabs at MAX

Skip the doctor’s visit or waiting for a test kit to be mailed to you. By filling out the GetaKit online assessment, Ottawa residents can pick up a swab kit in person from the MAX office on the same day.

1. Create a GetaKit account and complete the assessment.
2. If you’re testing your throat (pharyngeal) or butt (rectal) for either chlamydia or gonorrhea, the system will prompt you to get swabs. 
3. Select “I want to pick up swabs (from MAX Ottawa at 400 Cooper St)”.
4. Come to our office at 400 Cooper St when we’re open and a MAX team member will get you your swabs. 
5. You do not need to provide a confirmation code or any personal information to get the swabs, but you will be asked if you have completed the GetaKit assessment. You can’t have the swabs processed if you don’t get a requisition from GetaKit.
6. If you have questions about STI testing or swabs, you can ask our team.
7. Swab your throat and/or butt, following the instructions provided to you or by watching the how-to videos. Be sure to label each tube correctly. You can find instructions on how to swab here.
8. Drop your swabs off with the requisition at the lab of your choice.
9. Wait for a text message letting you know when your results are ready.

Your swabs will only be processed if:

• You have a valid requisition from GetaKit.
• You have swabbed yourself properly.
• Your name and birth date are correct on your labels.
• The labels have been put on the sample tubes correctly.
• You drop the swabs off at a lab.

Often, when you ask for an STI test, healthcare providers will only test your blood and your urine. However, about 65% of chlamydia and 70% of gonorrhea infections are found in people’s throats and/or butts, but not in their genitals. So if you’re only testing urine and blood, but you use your mouth or butt during sex, then you might be missing something. 

In general, anyone who is sexually active should swab where they play. This service, specifically, is for men who have sex with men and for trans women who don’t have symptoms of an infection. 

Ottawa Public Health recommends throat and/or butt swabbing for people who have condomless sexual contact in their throat and/or butt, who have specific risk factors, or who are:

• Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men;
• Trans women;
• People who do sex work or pay for sex or people who have had sex with someone who does sex work or pays for sex;
• People who are known contacts of someone with a confirmed case of chlamydia trachomatis or neisseria gonorrhea; or
• People who have signs or symptoms of butt (rectal) or throat (pharyngeal) infection.

If you have symptoms and need to be seen right away, please contact your primary healthcare provider or the Ottawa Public Health Sexual Health Clinic. 

Same-day results may be possible, but they depend on timing and preparation. To give yourself the best chance, register for your swabs before coming in and select MAX Ottawa as your pick-up location. You can also register in person at the MAX office, but please note that it can take up to an hour to receive your requisitions—meaning you’ll need to register, collect your samples, wait for the requisitions, and only then go to the lab. Be sure to check both MAX office hours and lab hours when planning your visit, as MAX is closed on weekends and many labs close in the evenings and on some weekend days.