STIs

The short answer is that anyone who has had any kind of sexual contact should be tested. That is not to say that everybody is at risk but if you consider the following points, there is very little excuse for anyone to say that they do not need sexual health testing.

Sexual health is no different from any other kind of health. Most people visit the dentist once every six months and the optician once a year. However very few people take this much care and attention over their sexual health despite the fact that poor sexual health can lead to discomfort, pain, death and (worst of all!) lack of sexual function such as loss of erection, arousal, sexual desire and pleasure.

You only have to sleep with one person to contract an STI. They may not even know that they are infected themselves. Many people with an STI have had them for some time - they may have few, if any, symptoms and any symptoms they may have had might have only lasted a short time. Also it is important to remember that you don't have to have full penetrative sex in order to be at risk from STIs. It is possible to contract certain STIs from many different kinds of sexual activity.

Most of the common STIs are easily treatable but can cause permanent damage in the long term. If you have ever had unprotected sex and/or you have sex on a regular basis, it is highly recommended that you get a sexual health screening. Even if you always practice safe sex, it never hurts to be sure of your sexual health status. Most importantly - if you have any unusual symptoms (see below) it is important that you get checked out straight away.

You can get sexual health check ups at your GP, at private clinics or at your local G.U.M. clinic. G.U.M. services are free, strictly confidential and any follow up work is carried out at the same place. Most large towns have some kind of sexual health screening programme - click here to find your nearest GUM services. Remember, if you are only concerned about HIV and are over 16, you can get a rapid test at TPA. Results are available in less than 1 hour

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