Relationships and Me

Here you can find out about our sexual health clinic for gay and bisexual men in Birmingham.

If you're starting a new relationship or just want some peace of mind this is the service for you.
It's aimed at men who have no obvious symptoms and feel ok but just want to make sure that they are healthy.

Based at the Healthy Gay Life Drop In at 146 Bromsgrove Street, the clinic offers appointments and a walk in service on Thursdays.
9.45 am - 12 noon and 1pm - 6.30pm (last appointment 6.30pm)
(Walk in is subject to availability and you may have to wait to be seen). To book an appointment or for further information call us on 0121 440 6161.

What if i have symptoms?

If you have any symptoms then you need to give the Whittall Street Clinic a call and arrange a visit to one of their clinics. (1021 237 5700).

Who's running the clinic?

The clinic will be staffed by experienced Healthy Gay Life workers and senior nurses from the Whittall Street Clinic.

What we can do

The nurses and HGL staff will provide a full testing service for all the common sexually transmitted infections. These include: Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, HIV and Hepatitis B.

We'll be providing vaccinations for Hepatitis B too, using the latest, quickest methods. It's really important that gay and bisexual men have this vaccination, as the virus is very easy to catch and can be extremely serious - so why take the chance?

HIV testing will be discussed with you in detail which will allow you to ask any questions you might have.

We won't be offering Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) for men who think they've been exposed to HIV during sex but we can give advice and information on it and where it's available. For more information on PEP see the HGL website or http://www.pep.chapsonline.org.uk

If you decide to have a check up, you will be asked some questions by the staff to help us identify which tests could be best for your situation.

How we do the tests

All the tests we do take advantage of the newest methods to be as easy and comfortable as possible for you. All these will be fully explained to you by the clinic staff.

Urine Sample for Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea - you mustn't pee for at least an hour before your appointment
Throat swab for Gonorrhoea
Blood test for Syphilis, HIV and Hepatitis B.

Results of the tests

Your results will take 10 days or so and if everything is ok we can send you a text message. If you are found to have an infection we'll telephone you or write to arrange further tests and/or treatment.

Chlamydia. You'll be given an antibiotic treatment and will need to discuss with the clinic staff about treating your partners where we can.

Gonorrhoea. If we find gonorrhoea in any of your samples we'll give you an antibiotic treatment.

Syphilis. If your blood test is positive we'll arrange an appointment at Whittall Street Clinic for you to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. You'll have a repeat blood test and be offered appropriate treatment.

HIV. Our fast test will give you a preliminary result in a matter of minutes. If this test says you have the infection we will confirm the result by sending a blood sample to the laboratory for additional tests. Once this is confirmed we will make arrangements for your further care at a specialist HIV centre.

So what's Next?

Make your appointment by calling 0121 440 6161. We'll have to ask you some questions to make sure that you are suitable for this clinic and give you an appointment time. If after asking you our routine questions we think you need more extensive testing or urgent treatment we'll make you an appointment at the Whittall Street Clinic.