Sexual health is one of the prevention check-up’s topics at every age: testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), now available at the laboratory without a prescription through Mon test IST, contraception with no upfront payment under 26, HPV vaccination possible up to age 26, and the questions people don’t dare ask elsewhere. The check-up identifies needs, informs and refers.
Why is sexual health part of the prevention check-up?
Because STIs are common and often silent, because people put up with poorly suited contraception in silence, and because sexuality remains one of the least discussed topics in routine consultations. Mon bilan prévention, France’s national prevention check-up program, fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) at four key ages, explicitly lists sexual health among its topics, alongside sleep, mental health and vaccination. We describe its framework on our reference page about the prevention check-up.
The check-up is neither a gynecological consultation nor a screening test: it is a 30- to 45-minute conversation, with no examination, based on a self-assessment questionnaire. Its value is in bringing a question to light — “Should I get tested?”, “Is my contraception right for me?”, “Am I vaccinated against HPV?” — and pointing to the right place to go: your regular doctor (médecin traitant), a midwife, a gynecologist, a laboratory, a testing center. Midwives, who can carry out the check-up, prescribe contraception, prescribe screening tests and give vaccinations, are key contacts here.
Which STI tests are recommended, and how often?
The recommendations of the French National Authority for Health (HAS) distinguish between testing for everyone, at least once in a lifetime for HIV, and regular testing for people at risk. French National Health Insurance also recommends testing with each new partner, after unprotected or poorly protected sex, when having multiple partners, before stopping condom use in a couple, and when planning a pregnancy.
| Infection | Recommendation | Issued by and date |
|---|---|---|
| HIV | Offer a test at least once in a lifetime to everyone aged 15 to 70; every 3 months for men who have sex with men and have multiple partners; every year for people who inject drugs and for people with multiple partners from sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean | HAS, March 2017 |
| Chlamydia | Systematic screening of sexually active women aged 15 to 25 inclusive, repeated every year in case of a new partner; targeted screening of men and of women over 25 with risk factors | HAS, October 2018 |
| Gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B | Testing after a risk, with a new partner, with multiple partners, or if there are symptoms; included in Mon test IST | French National Health Insurance |
| Cervical cancer (HPV-related) | Organized (national) screening program from 25 to 65: cytology at 25 and 26, then 3 years later, then an HPV test every 5 years from 30 to 65 | French National Cancer Institute (Institut national du cancer) |
Chlamydia shows why testing matters: according to the HAS, 60 to 70% of infected young women have no symptoms and do not know they have been infected, even though the infection can impair fertility. It is one of the tests we systematically bring up during the prevention check-up at ages 18–25.
How does Mon test IST work?
Mon test IST (“My STI test”) is the program that, since September 1, 2024, lets you get tested at a medical laboratory without a prescription or appointment for five infections: HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. HIV testing had already been available at laboratories without a prescription since 2022; the other four have been added.
| Mon test IST | Under 26 | 26 and older |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Any medical laboratory, with no prescription or appointment | Same |
| Infections | HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia | Same |
| Coverage | 100% by French National Health Insurance, with no upfront payment | HIV: 100%; the other 4 STIs: 60% by French National Health Insurance, 40% by your supplementary health insurer |
| Home kit (chlamydia and gonorrhea) | Women aged 18 to 25 inclusive since July 1, 2025; men aged 18 to 25 inclusive since May 29, 2026; order at mon-test-ist.ameli.fr, sent in a plain envelope, fully covered (100%) | Not available |
For those who prefer anonymity, free information, screening and diagnosis centers (CeGIDD) offer free, confidential testing for HIV and other STIs. HIV self-tests are also sold in pharmacies. If a result is positive, the laboratory or center refers you to a consultation: there is a treatment for each of these infections, and early testing also protects your partners.
Which contraception, and how is it covered?
Contraception is chosen with a professional — a doctor, a midwife, or a pharmacist for renewals — based on your life, your health and your preferences; no method is “the best” for everyone. What the check-up picks up is contraception that is endured, forgotten, poorly tolerated, or missing when a pregnancy is not wanted.
| Contraception coverage | Under 26 | 26 and older |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription and follow-up consultations (doctor, midwife) | No upfront payment, since January 2022, for all women under 26 | Standard reimbursement for consultations |
| Reimbursable contraceptives (first- and second-generation pills, implant, intrauterine device, diaphragm, injectable progestin) | 100%, with no upfront payment | 65% by French National Health Insurance |
| Contraception-related lab tests | No upfront payment | Standard reimbursement |
| Certain brands of external (male) and internal (female) condoms | 100% at the pharmacy, without a prescription, since January 1, 2023 | 60% on prescription from a doctor or midwife |
| Hormonal emergency contraception | Free at the pharmacy, with no prescription or upfront payment, for all women regardless of age, since January 1, 2023 | Same |
Two practical points. Nurses can renew a contraceptive prescription and pharmacists can dispense the pill on that basis, which avoids gaps. And emergency contraception, now free for all women, should be taken as soon as possible after sex: the pharmacist dispenses it confidentially and checks that it suits your situation.
The check-up is also the time to talk about male contraception, whether or not you want children and, after 45, contraception during perimenopause, topics we cover in the prevention check-up at ages 45–50.
HPV vaccination: for whom and up to what age?
Vaccination against human papillomaviruses (HPV) is recommended for girls and boys aged 11 to 14, with two doses five months apart, and has applied to boys since January 1, 2021. Catch-up vaccination is possible from 15 up to and including age 26, for young women and young men alike, with three doses; it was extended to age 26 on December 19, 2025, according to Vaccination Info Service. The vaccine is covered at 65% by French National Health Insurance, and at 100% in schools or for beneficiaries of the Complémentaire santé solidaire (France’s free or low-cost supplementary health coverage for people on low incomes).
HPV is involved in cervical cancer, but also in cancers of the anus, throat, vulva, vagina and penis, as well as genital warts: that is why the recommendation applies to both sexes. Vaccinated or not, women should continue the organized cervical cancer screening program from 25 to 65, because the vaccine does not cover every type of the virus. The prevention check-up at ages 18–25 is the ideal opportunity to check this item in your vaccination record, along with the other boosters we detail on our page about adult vaccination.
What changes in sexual health after 25, at 45 or at 60?
Nothing stops at 26, apart from some free services. STIs affect every age — diagnoses among people over 50 are rising with new relationships after a separation or the loss of a partner — and the habit of getting tested with each new partner is just as valid at 55 as at 20.
For women, perimenopause and menopause change sexuality: dryness, pain, lower desire, and associated sleep and mood problems. These are legitimate reasons to see a professional, with solutions to discuss with a doctor, midwife or gynecologist. For men, newly appearing erectile problems can be the first sign of a vascular or metabolic problem and should be mentioned to your regular doctor rather than kept quiet; this is one of the reasons the topic belongs in the prevention check-up at ages 60–65.
Finally, sexual health includes consent, violence and the quality of relationships. The prevention check-up is a space where these topics can be raised, in confidence and under medical confidentiality, and where the professional knows which resources to refer you to, including for mental health.
How does the prevention check-up address these topics in practice?
In three steps, as with the other topics: the self-assessment questionnaire completed before the appointment brings up the relevant points (contraception, last screening, vaccination, questions), the professional goes over them with you, and together you decide whether sexual health is one of the one or two priorities included in your Personalized Prevention Plan. The action can be very concrete: a visit to the laboratory for Mon test IST within a month, a consultation with a midwife to review your contraception, an HPV catch-up dose, the date of your next cervical screening.
Everything that is said is covered by medical confidentiality. The plan is sent to your regular doctor unless you object, and you can ask for certain items to be left out. To find out what the prevention check-up self-assessment questionnaire contains and how to prepare for it, we have detailed it section by section.
Key takeaways
- Sexual health is an official topic of the prevention check-up, at 18–25 as at the later ages; the check-up identifies needs and refers you, it does not do the testing itself.
- Mon test IST: laboratory testing for 5 STIs without a prescription since September 1, 2024, fully covered under 26; home kit for 18- to 25-year-olds.
- HAS: an HIV test at least once in a lifetime between 15 and 70; chlamydia screening for all sexually active women aged 15 to 25.
- Contraception with no upfront payment under 26, free emergency contraception for all women, condoms covered at the pharmacy under 26.
- HPV vaccination: ages 11–14, catch-up up to and including age 26 since December 19, 2025; cervical screening is still needed from 25 to 65.
What Sokrate lets you do
The Sokrate service lets you prepare your prevention check-up online: an adaptive questionnaire covering nine dimensions of health, including sexual health, contraception and vaccination, followed by a Personalized Prevention Plan written and signed by a doctor, sent to your regular doctor unless you object. A coordinating nurse provides follow-up and can help you find a laboratory, a midwife or a testing center. The check-up remains fully covered (100%) by French National Health Insurance when carried out by an authorized professional. To be notified when the service opens, join the waitlist.