The resource table on the ground floor of the Health Center in the Health Promotion and Wellness Services lobby typically stocks a variety of external condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, and water- and silicone-based lubricant. 

• IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR STANDARD LATEX CONDOMS AND LUBE, feel free to come by our resource table on the ground floor of the Health Center in the Health Promotion and Wellness Services lobby and make your own grab-n-go condom bag.
• IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR OTHER SAFER SEX MATERIALS: please use the Safer Sex Supply Request Form below to ensure that the appropriate materials are here when you come by. These materials might be on the resource table for walk-ins, but supplies tend to be more limited.

If you are looking for more information about sexual health or safer sex resources, please visit our sexual health resource Google folder.

• Are you a faculty/staff member or student leader (RA, DFSL chapter leader, student org president, etc.) who wants to distribute safer sex supplies to students? We've got you covered -- literally. We provide bulk packs of safer sex supplies to folks on campus who are hosting a sexual health program or event and/or have the residential or office space to offer supplies to students. Fill out the Safer Sex Supply Request Form below and you'll get an email in 3-5 business days with instructions for pick up. 
• Limited to two bulk orders per person per month. Free safer sex supplies are always available grab-and-go style at the resource table on the ground floor of the University Health Center during regular business hours.  

If you are looking for more information about sexual health or safer sex resources, including some materials you could print or share with other students, please visit our sexual health resource Google folder.

The University Health Center offers several Sexual Health and Wellness services. 

If you are experiencing symptoms of any kind, it is critical that you make an appointment with a provider instead of visiting a free service.

Some patients like to use their insurance for these services and some like to pay out of pocket to keep the appointment off of their insurance record. Regardless, it is important that you let the registration staff at check-in know before your appointment begins.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that sexually active individuals be STI screened at least once a year or in between new partners. Depending on risk, more frequent screening may be recommended. An open and honest dialogue with your healthcare provider will help to determine your risk, needs, and appropriate tests.
• Some STIs, like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, are site specific. Depending on your behavior, throat and/or rectal swabs may be recommended for the most accurate testing.
• Routine STI screening tests for HIV, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea. Additional tests may be ordered as recommended by your reported behavior, risk assessment, and CDC guidelines. Please note that the CDC does not recommend herpes screening for people without symptoms. Recommended HPV screening begins for people with a cervix at age 21 through a gynecological exam and pap testing. If you do not have a cervix and you do not have symptoms, there is no recommended HPV screening tool or protocol. 
• Wait ten days to two weeks after a potential STI exposure to get tested for the most accurate results. If a recent partner has tested positive for an STI, please contact a health care provider directly for instruction on the appropriate follow-up protocol.

Free testing events are offered on specific days and times throughout the year on a first come, first served basis. These events do not include a physical examination and do not bill insurance. Please see the schedule below.

April 12th 2023, 12pm to 2pm, Stamp Grand Ballroom

Students will be able to get tested on a first come, first serve basis for HIV and syphilis via blood draw and gonorrhea and chlamydia via urine sample. There will be free food, safer sex giveaways, and sexual health resources available as you wait.

Please note: While your pre-test conversation and blood draw will take place in a partitioned area, you will be waiting with other students and may have to collect the urine sample in a public restroom

Questions? Email Miriam Levitin, Sexual Health Program Assistant Coordinator at miriam64@umd.edu.

The free clinic is closed for the summer and will reopen at the beginning of the fall 2023 semester

This option is only available to those WITHOUT symptoms and NO KNOWN recent contact with an STI-infected partner. During your visit, a health educator will ask you questions about your sexual health history and help you make an informed decision about which test(s) are right for you. Then a phlebotomist will perform the blood draw, if selected, and instruct you on how to self-collect necessary specimens.

This clinic includes free HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia screening. This clinic will NOT bill any insurance plans.

This clinic is for registered students only. If you have SHIP or Maryland Medicaid, DO NOT schedule with this clinic. Patients with SHIP and Maryland Medicaid can see a provider for no charge and should schedule STI testing appointments with a health care provider, not the free clinic. See “STI Testing Appointment with a Health Care Provider (with or without symptoms)” below for more info.

Appointments can be made by visiting myuhc.umd.edu and selecting “Self-Test STI Clinic" or by calling 301-314-8184. A $25 fee will be applied for no-shows or when appointments are not canceled in a timely manner (at least 24 hours before the appointment time).  

If you are NOT experiencing symptoms

• This appointment may or may not include a physical examination depending on symptoms and/or presenting concerns. 
• This appointment can be billed to insurance, or you can choose to pay out of pocket.​ Please let registration know BEFORE your appointment if you DO NOT want to bill insurance for the appointment.

Have concerns about what might get sent home and how to increase privacy? Visit “Information Sent Home.”

Appointments can be made by calling appointments at 301-314-8184 and asking for an “Appointment with a Healthcare Provider” and be clear that you DO NOT have symptoms. Appointments can also be made online at MyUHC.umd.edu by selecting “Women’s Health Visits (includes STI testing)” and then “STI screening and testing with a provider, includes testing and may include an examination” or “Men’s Health Visits (includes STI testing)” and “STI Screening (if you have NO symptoms)”

If you are experiencing symptoms

• The only recommended testing option is to meet with a health care provider so that they can best assess what is going on and order the appropriate tests to make an accurate diagnosis. 
• This appointment may or may not include a physical examination depending on symptoms and/or presenting concerns.
• This appointment can be billed to insurance, or you can choose to pay out of pocket. Please let registration know BEFORE your appointment if you DO NOT want to bill insurance for the appointment.

Have concerns about what might get sent home and how to increase privacy? Visit “Information Sent Home.”

Appointments can be made by calling appointments at 301-314-8184 and asking for an “Appointment with a Healthcare Provider” for STI testing due to symptoms. Appointments can also be made online at MyUHC.umd.edu by selecting “Women’s Health Visits (includes STI testing)” and then “STI screening and testing with a provider, includes testing and may include an examination” or “Men’s Health Visits (includes STI testing)” and “STI Testing (if you are having any symptoms)”.

If you have the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) or Maryland Medicaid then you can see a provider for either of these appointments at NO CHARGE.  Additionally, most insurance plans cover routine STI screening. Contact your insurance plan for more details and check to see if the UHC takes your insurance here.

• Feeling overwhelmed by all of the options and don’t know which testing option is right for you? Want to talk it through with someone? If your concerns are not time sensitive, call 301-314-8184 to schedule a free Sexual Health Consultation with our Sexual Health Program Assistant Coordinator, Miriam Levitin.
• If your concerns are time sensitive or you are experiencing symptoms, call 301-314-8184 and ask to schedule an appointment with a provider. 

PrEP is short for pre-exposure prophylaxis. PrEP is taking prescription medicine daily before coming into contact with HIV. This, in combination with safer sex practices, can help lower the chance of getting HIV infection. PrEP is only for HIV-negative adults at higher risk of getting HIV. Find more information about PrEP at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Wondering if PrEP is right for you? Schedule an appointment with one of our medical professionals at MyUHC or call (301) 314-8184.

PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) means taking medicine to prevent HIV after a possible exposure. PEP must be started within 72 hours of possible exposure to HIV. Contact the UHC right away (within 72 hours) if you think you've been recently exposed to HIV:

• during sex (for example, if the condom broke),
• through sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs
• if you've been sexually assaulted

The sooner you start PEP, the better. During a visit with a UHC provider, you may be prescribed PEP, and you'll need to take it daily for 28 days.  For more information about PEP, please call the UHC at 301.314.8184.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/pep/about-pep.html

Please look through these resources that expand on the different types of birth control and the frequently asked questions associated with the various methods and our scheduling process:

• Birth Control Guide
• Birth Control Methods Chart
• Birth Control Q&A Webinar

Birth Control Q&A Webinar Playlist:

Question 1: How do I know which birth control method is right for me? Is there one best kind of birth control?

Question 2: People often talk about birth control in the context of heterosexual sex - why else might someone want to take birth control?

Question 3: What are the best birth control methods for people taking testosterone?

Question 4: I can't use hormonal birth control, what are my options? How does that work?

Question 5: What are the benefits and risks of Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC)?

Question 6: Is there a limit to how many times you can take Plan B?

Question 7: What if I am already on birth control (the pill, IUD, etc.) and having sex- why would I still want to use barrier methods?

Question 8: Does birth control affect fertility?

• Birth control consultations are for students who are UNSURE about which birth control method they would like to start and want to discuss the options. Schedule a FREE consultation by calling 301-314-8184 (Select 1 for appointments, not 8 for Health Promotion and Wellness Services). A $25 no show fee is applied when appointments are not canceled in a timely manner; at least 24 hours before the appointment time. This fee may also apply for late arrivals and missed appointments. To cancel an appointment please call the appointment line (301) 314-8184.

• If you know which method you would like to start or refill, then please call 301-314-8190 to schedule an appointment with a health care provider or book online at myuhc.edu. This appointment is not free but can be billed to your insurance or paid for out of pocket. 

The University Health Center offers several birth control and emergency contraception options, over-the-counter and by prescription. If you are looking to schedule an appointment for a refill or know what form of contraception you would like to start, please visit MyUHC or call 301-314-8190. 

The University Health Center offers several pregnancy testing options. Please visit the Pregnancy Testing section on the women's health page for more information.

Interested in a live presentation? Visit our Invite Us In page!

• Sexual Health 101 Presentation Playlist
• Birth Control Q&A Playlist
• Queer Safer Sex Presentation Playlist

• Any Questions? Podcast: The Pleasure Gap
• Any Questions? Podcast: STIs & Stigma
• Any Questions? Podcast: Kinky Sex
• Any Questions? Podcast: Consent & Communication

The HPWS Wellness Toolkit has several activities and resources focused on sexual health. From lesson plans around recorded presentations and podcasts to a trivia activity to a guide to safer sex supplies and distribution, faculty/staff and student leaders can use these tools to create a culture of wellness in their campus communities.

Our digital sexual health education library contains many of our educational materials and handouts. Feel free to use them for your own knowledge or print off a batch to share with students!