Understand your
First To Know®
syphilis test results and see a doctor online

Confidential testing and treatment for syphilis from the comfort of home.

1

If you have symptoms of syphilis (even if your First To Know® syphilis test is negative).

2

If you have been exposed to someone who has syphilis even if your First To Know® Test is negative.

3

If you have a positive syphilis test and you have not been treated for syphilis.

90%

You could have no symptoms and still be transmitting syphilis to your sexual partner. It can take up to 90 days from the time of exposure for you to develop antibodies that are detected by the First To Know® or other syphilis screening tests. In most cases, you never see any of the visible signs of syphilis.

Most people don’t notice any of these

  • Rash on the palms, soles, or the body
  • Mucous patches on and in the mouth
  • A painless sore or ulcer (chancre) on the genitals
  • Condyloma (wart-like bumps) on the genitals
  • A lump on the skin (the ankle) and in the bone called a gumma
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Sore throat
  • Headache
  • Weight loss
  • Muscle aches
  • Cardiac syphilis (heart): Aortic aneurysm, Aortic stenosis, Aortic regurgitation, Congestive heart failure
  • Ocular syphilis (eyes): Uveitis, Optic neuritis, Retinitis, Impaired vision that you were not born with, Photophobia (sensitivity to light), Redness or inflammation of the eyeball (not the skin around it)
  • Otosyphilis (ears): Unexplained hearing loss that you were not born with, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), impaired balance (that you were not born with), Vertigo
  • Neurosyphilis (brain and nervous): Difficulty coordinating muscle movements, numbness or weakness anywhere on the body, changes in your personality (emotional outbursts, depression, apathy, delusions)

If your test was negative, but you are still concerned that you may have syphilis, talk to a doctor now.

If your First To Know® syphilis test is negative, you could still have syphilis.
It can take up to 90 days to develop the antibodies that are detected by the First To Know® or other lab based syphilis tests.

HIV/AIDs
Viral hepatitis infection
Malaria
Walking pneumonia (mycoplasma)
Infectious Mono (EBV)
Systemic Lupus (SLE)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Liver disease (cirrhosis)
Kidney disease (especially dialysis)
Pregnancy
Recent immunization (influenza, MMR, Smallpox, Hepatitis B)
Certain medications (warfarin, heparin, aspirin, tetracyclines, rarely penicillin, methotrexate)
IV drug use (heroin and cocaine)

For this reason, it is important that we check your treponemal antibodies at the same time. If BOTH tests are negative and you are still concerned that you may have syphilis, repeat both tests in one month.

HIV/AIDs
Viral hepatitis infection
Malaria
Walking pneumonia (mycoplasma)
Infectious Mono (EBV)
Systemic Lupus (SLE)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Liver disease (cirrhosis)
Kidney disease (especially dialysis)
Pregnancy
Recent immunization (influenza, MMR, Smallpox, Hepatitis B)
Certain medications (warfarin, heparin, aspirin, tetracyclines, rarely penicillin, methotrexate)
IV drug use (heroin and cocaine)

For this reason, it is important that we check your treponemal antibodies at the same time. If BOTH tests are negative and you are still concerned that you may have syphilis, repeat both tests in one month.

If your First To Know® test was negative and you are still concerned that you may have syphilis, talk to a doctor now. Your provider on AZOVA can order the testing you need to get a definitive syphilis diagnosis and can provide prescription treatment as indicated.

The First To Know® test checks for a type of antibody called ‘treponemal antibodies’. A positive First To Know® syphilis test result means that you have antibodies that may indicate a current syphilis infection OR a past syphilis infection. To start treatment for syphilis, we also need to check ‘non-treponemal’ antibody titers so your healthcare provider can track your response to treatment.

We’ll order the testing you need to get a full diagnosis. Get a telehealth visit to get treatment and ongoing care.
Testing for both Non-treponemal antibody titers and Treponemal antibody levels are needed to diagnose and treat syphilis.
Full STI Screening is also recommended at the same time to detect any associated STIs.

In Lab Test

Positive when you have syphilis and with

some health conditions.
HIV/AIDs
Viral hepatitis infection
Malaria
Walking pneumonia (mycoplasma)
Infectious Mono (EBV)
Systemic Lupus (SLE)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Liver disease (cirrhosis)
Kidney disease (especially dialysis)
Pregnancy
Recent immunization (influenza, MMR, Smallpox, Hepatitis B)
Certain medications (warfarin, heparin, aspirin, tetracyclines, rarely penicillin, methotrexate)
IV drug use (heroin and cocaine)

For this reason, it is important that we check your treponemal antibodies at the same time. If BOTH tests are negative and you are still concerned that you may have syphilis, repeat both tests in one month.

We’ll also check your antibody titers (the number of antibodies) if this test is positive. The titer numbers are tracked to make sure they go down after treatment. This number serves as your baseline before treatment and is retested and tracked over time.

In Lab Test

Positive when you have an active infection AND if you’ve had an infection in the past. These antibodies are usually positive for life. The laboratory will run this test only if your non-treponemal antibodies are positive. If both tests are negative and you have symptoms or have had sex with someone who has been diagnosed with syphilis in the last 90 days, you should get treatment now.

This test screens for ten additional STIs that are associated with syphilis at the same time.

Designed to be completed along with the in laboratory syphilis confirmation test. We’ll check for the following:

Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Trichomonas
Mycoplasma
Hep B
Hep C
HIV 1
HIV 2
HSV 1
HSV 2

Stay informed, stay healthy, and take charge of your sexual health!