Understanding STD test results can be confusing. “Positive” means signs of an STD were found, “negative” means no signs were found. “Inconclusive” terms like “equivocal” or “indeterminate” mean the test was inconclusive. “Reference range” and “value” are also included in results. False positives or negatives can occur, so tests may need to be repeated.
When reviewing sexually transmitted disease (STD) test results, you may find it easy to understand results such as “positive” or “negative.” Positive means the test has shown signs of an STD, while negative means it hasn’t. However, you may also notice a variety of other terms that seem confusing. For example, you may see words like “equivocal” or “indeterminate” on your results report, both of which indicate that the test was inconclusive. Additionally, you may see terms like “reference range,” which refers to normal values for positive, negative, or inconclusive tests, or “value,” which refers to your specific result.
The easiest part of interpreting STD test results is reading the “negative” or “positive” results. If you test positive for a particular disease, it means that the test revealed signs of STDs and you may need treatment for it. If the result is negative, the test has revealed no signs of the particular disease. Depending on the tests you have taken, you may have different results for each type of STD. For example, you might test positive for gonorrhea but negative for herpes.
It is important to note that some negative and positive STD test results may not be 100% accurate, as some tests have the potential to return false positives or negatives. Therefore, a test may be repeated if your doctor thinks it may be incorrect. For example, if you get a positive test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), your doctor may want to retest.
Sometimes terms such as “inconclusive,” “equivocal,” or “indeterminate” appear on the test results. Usually, this means that the test did not produce a definitive positive or negative. If so, your doctor will likely want to repeat the test to get an accurate result. Sometimes, results are inaccurate when a test is administered using two different methods. If one tests positive and the other negative, you may need to retest.
You may also see the term “nonreactive” when you are reviewing your STD test results. Nonreactive usually means the same as negative when it comes to this type of test. It means that the test showed no signs of the disease in question.
Often, the terms “reference range” and “value” are also included in STD test results. A reference range is a range of results considered normal for a positive, negative, or inconclusive result. A value is the number associated with the test result. For example, if your result is assigned a value of five and the reference range indicates that values less than eight are negative, your result for that test is negative.
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