What types of services do sexual health clinics offer?
Most clinics offer these services:
- Birth control counselling and prescriptions (often more affordable than pharmacies)
- Info on STIs, including testing and treatment
- Pregnancy testing
- Emergency birth control also called the morning-after pill
- Anonymous HIV testing
- Hepatitis A and B, and HPV vaccines
- Needle exchange services (trade-in used ones for new ones, free)
Everyone, regardless of their gender, race, or sexual orientation, can use these services, and many clinics are accessible by transit.
Is there a sexual health clinic near me?
There are many sexual health clinics across Ontario. Although there are no clinics exclusively for newcomer youth, most clinics are youth-friendly. Some clinics offer services in different languages, and all are trained to provide culturally and religiously inclusive care.
For a list of clinics in Ontario, see the following websites:
Depending on the clinic you plan to visit, you can make an appointment or check for walk-in hours. It is a good idea to check the clinic’s policy and whether you need to make an appointment. There can be long wait times at some clinics.
You can also check out your local Community Health Centre or any public walk-in clinic.
Does my family need to find out if I visited a clinic?
No, just like your family doctor appointments, you don’t need permission to visit a clinic. Everything, including test results, remains confidential. This means that staff are required, by law, not to tell anyone anything without your permission.
However, if a healthcare professional believes your safety or the safety of others is at risk, they have a duty to report it so that you get help and support. Learn more about privacy and confidentiality on Action Canada’s website.
I’m too embarrassed to be examined by a doctor!
It’s natural and expected to feel this way, especially if you haven’t been examined before.
Sexual health clinic doctors and nurses are non-judgmental and inclusive. This means no matter what their personal beliefs are, they are trained and required to be open to your concerns. Some clinics will also let you choose the doctor you will meet based on your needs.
You can tell them if this is your first time at a clinic or if you are nervous about the appointment, and they will know to be more helpful. You are also allowed to ask for a nurse, or a trusted friend, to be with you during your appointment if you are concerned about being alone with the doctor.
Remember that no question is “too weird” to ask. Most staff have heard it all before, so you’re not the first one to ask about your body, pregnancy or STIs. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to a particular nurse or doctor, you can ask to see someone different.
For more information
- Teen Health Source - A sexual health information service run for and by youth.
- Sexual Health Ontario - Find information on sexual health, STIs, reproductive health, clinics near you, and The Sexual Health Infoline.
- Sex & U - A website developed by the Society of Obstetricians Gynaecologists of Canada that provides accurate and up-to-date information and education on topics related to sexual and reproductive health.
- Where can I find information about sexual and reproductive health? - An article by Settlement.Org