Private Medical Practise in Portobello, London

Confidential, Private Sexual Health Screening by a Specialist Doctor at The Portobello Clinic
3 minutes walk from Ladbrooke Grove Underground Station

Men and women are often embarrassed to visit their own GP to discuss sexually transmitted diseases and are not keen to visit a clinic clearly labelled as such just in case they are spotted! At the Portobello Clinic we offer an extensive range of services from private GP’s to specialists in a number of areas, so when you visit you are confident your visit will be private and totally confidential.

If you think you are at risk act quickly.
The longer you delay the start of your treatment, the greater your worry.

Call us on 0208 962 0635.

All tests are undertaken by an accredited laboratory and the results will be available, often the same day and we will counsel you on your treatment options, no matter how difficult they may feel to you. We have a pharmacy on site so you can even take your medication away with you.

Standard Screen           £195 including consultation
HIV Testing                  £120 including consultation
 

The Service

The rates of sexually transmitted infections (STDs) have increased rapidly in the UK over recent years and especially in London and have become a worry for many sexually active men and women.
At the Portobello Clinic we can offer highly confidential screening and treatment, by a doctor trained in sexual health medicine, for all STDs in a state of the art clinic just off Portobello Road.

The clinic also sees many patients for a whole range of other conditions, so the reason for your visit would remain between you and your doctor.

Testing involves taking a detailed history of the problem, examination of the area followed by a blood test, urine test and usually (although not always) a swab being taken – this would take less than 30 minutes.

Results can sometimes be given immediately and treatment provided there an then. Sometimes we have to wait one or two days for results to come back from our laboratory, when the doctor will call you personally to explain the findings.

If you need treatment, this can be sent to you directly or you can collect the medication from our reception the same day as we have a pharmacy on site.

Common STDs include:

CHLAMYDIA

This is very common – up to 40% of sexually active adults under 25 in some parts of London – and can present with a creamy discharge (leakage) from the penis or vagina with stinging when you pass urine. In many cases however there may be no symptoms, but if left untreated may cause long term problems such as pelvic inflammatory disease or prostatitis.

Chlamydia is easily detected on screening and easily treated with a one-off dose of antibiotics.

We sometimes detect infections with ureaplasma or mycoplasma, which are similar to Chlamydia but much more commonly asymptomatic and usually less serious.

GONORRHOEA

This is usually pretty obvious (although occasionally without any signs) – there is a usually a heavy creamy discharge from the penis or vagina, although it can occur in the throat or anus, as well as discomfort on passing urine.

The diagnosis can be made immediately and treatment provided straight away with a simple antibiotic injection.

HIV INFECTION

This can be a great worry to anyone who has had unprotected sex, especially if it was a new partner or casual encounter.

Symptoms do not usually occur for years afterwards, and then it presents with frequent and unusual infections as the immune system is weakened by the virus. in 20-30% of infections a ‘seroconversion’ illness can occur, when the body starts to produce antibodies – this is often described as being like glandular fever, but often occurs with a rash and mouth ulcers.

The tests offered vary in how soon after the sexual encounter you want to be tested, but the soonest you can be tested is at about ten days with an HIV PCR test, but the results take 7 days to come back.

After 28 days we can use the cheaper HIV Duo test which looks for the antibody and p24 antigen (part of the HIV virus itself) – results come back 4 hours later. After 90 days, the simple antibody is 99.9% accurate and can be done within 5 minutes at the time of the appointment.

GENITAL HERPES

Herpes causes painful ulcers to occur on the genitals or lips.

They last about a week and can be treated with antiviral medication, but may recur every 6 months or so. There is no cure at present although starting the medication quickly can minimise an attack. You are usually only infectious to others when you have the ulcers.

SYPHILIS

An old problem which is on the increase again especially in London and in gay men.

The first lesion (primary syphilis) shows itself as a painless hard ulcer usually on the genitals which goes away after a couple of weeks. The next stage (secondary syphilis) may occur a couple of years later with a widespread blotchy rash.

Tertiary syphilis is thankfully very rare now as the infection responds so well to a course of antibiotics.

Diagnosis is made on a blood test which should be ready the next day

GENITAL WARTS

These are very similar to warts elsewhere but can spread quickly on the genitals. They are treated with cryotherapy (or freezing) and respond very well, although you may need to come back a few times if they don’t all disappear immediately.

Other small lumps on the genitals may be molluscum contagiosum, which responds very well to simple freezing treatment.

HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV)

One type of this virus causes genital warts, but other types can cause cervical cancer in women, which is why regular smear testing is recommended. We can also test for the whole range of HPV on the smear sample and refer to a specialist if any abnormalities are detected. The HPV vaccination is also available which prevents infection with the HPV strains associated with cervical cancer, as well as those which cause genital warts.

HEPATITIS

This is a viral liver infection and all types of hepatitis – A, B and C – can be sexually transmitted. A blood test is required to look for antibody development. If you think you may have been exposed to hepatitis B, then rapid vaccination is required to prevent you getting the virus yourself. Vaccines are routinely offered for hepatitis A and B, but as yet none is available for hepatitis C.