A clinic in Cherry Creek recently stopped allowing male patients to swab for sexually transmitted infections, raising concerns that gay and bisexual men may forgo testing, even as rates of certain infections have increased.

Sean O’Connor, a patient who lives in Denver, said UCHealth’s Cherry Creek location was a particularly valuable resource because it allowed people to have a “standing prescription,” meaning they didn’t need to see a doctor for a referral for testing. every time they had a possible exposure.

The process was convenient, he said: Patients would receive a swab for the throat and one for the rectum, and could have their own samples taken in minutes.

With the rule change, patients who need this testing must make an appointment with a provider who will swab them, which is both less convenient and more intrusive, O’Connor said.

“They’re doing their best to attract people, they just don’t have the capacity,” he said.

The machine that analyzes swabs only allows self-swabbing of the vagina, and labs don’t have the option to ignore the manufacturer’s instructions, said Dan Weaver, a UCHealth spokesman.

The manufacturer tests their machines according to specific protocols, and the US Food and Drug Administration then determines that the machine works if the end user follows those instructions. It can’t guarantee the results will be accurate in other conditions, so when someone realized the machine wasn’t tested for self-tamping other body parts, UCHealth had to change protocols, Weaver said.

“We know this is disappointing for many patients, including those who may need ongoing testing. Excellent care for all patients is our priority, and we are committed to helping patients access (STI) testing as conveniently as possible,” he said in a statement.

Skylar Patron, health equity manager for the LGBTQ group One Colorado, said she and her colleagues are evaluating whether the change will create a hole in the testing landscape around Denver.

A program run by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment allows patients to swab multiple orifices using a home test kitalthough only about 2,500 people ordered the kits last year.

Swabbing the place where a person has had sexual contact can detect chlamydia and GONORRHEA. In some cases, swabbing is not necessary: ​​people who have had sexual contact through the penis or vagina can just give a urine sample. Some other infections, including HIV, syphilis and hepatitis, require a blood test for diagnosis.

Antibiotics can generally cure chlamydia and gonorrhea, although cases of drug-resistant gonorrhea they began to spread to other parts of the country. Both infections can cause pain, discharge from the area where the bacteria entered, and possibly fertility problems, especially if a person with an asymptomatic case never received treatment.