What to Expect at a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam, Step by Step

Reviewed by Heard & Believed · Updated 2026-10-21

If you are thinking about getting a forensic exam, or someone suggested one, not knowing what happens can make it feel harder. Here is a gentle walk-through of the steps, what you can say no to, and what it costs.

First, you get to decide

A sexual assault forensic exam, sometimes called a SAFE or a rape kit, is medical care and evidence collection in one visit. It is usually done by a sexual assault nurse examiner, often called a SANE, who is trained to provide trauma-informed care.

RAINN puts it simply: you are in charge. The exam is a collaboration between you and your examiner, and you can stop, pause or skip any step at any time. Nothing has to happen that you do not agree to.

What the visit usually includes

According to RAINN, an exam may include some or all of these steps:

• Emergency care, if you have injuries that need attention first.
• Questions about your health history.
• Questions about any recent consensual sexual activity, which helps the examiner identify the right DNA.
• Questions about what happened, so the examiner knows where you may be hurt and where evidence may be.
• A head-to-toe exam, which may include internal exams.
• Collecting samples, such as swabs, blood, urine or hair.
• Photographs to document injuries.

Before you go, if you can

If it is possible, RAINN suggests not showering or bathing, not changing clothes, not using the restroom and not brushing your hair before the exam, since those can remove evidence. If you have already done any of those things, it is still worth going. In most cases DNA evidence must be collected within 72 hours, though other evidence may be present after that.

Bring a change of comfortable clothes if you can, because the examiner may keep what you were wearing as evidence. The exam can take a few hours.

Cost, reporting and support

You should not be asked to pay for the exam. RAINN explains that the Violence Against Women Act requires states to provide exams at no cost if they want certain federal funds. If you are billed, contact your local sexual assault service provider right away. You may also qualify for help with medical costs or lost wages through your state's victim compensation program.

You can have the exam without deciding anything about police. RAINN notes that evidence collected during the exam is preserved in case you choose to report later. If you are under 18 or over 65, the examiner may be legally required to notify law enforcement.

You can bring someone you trust. RAINN mentions that this person could be called as a witness if you report, and that a trained advocate may be available to be with you instead.

Afterward

The examiner can talk with you about preventing sexually transmitted infections, the possibility of pregnancy, and support for your mental health, and can help set up follow-up care. Be gentle with yourself in the days after. However you feel afterward, tired, numb, shaky or tearful, none of it means you did something wrong.

Heard & Believed is a free survivor-support information site, not a law firm or a counseling service. If you want to talk to someone right now, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is free, confidential and open 24/7 at 800-656-4673.

You might also read

• What to Do After Sexual Assault: Gentle First Steps
• Deciding Whether to Come Forward: There's No Wrong Timeline
• What to Expect, Emotionally, When You Come Forward