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STDs and STD testing is a topic that many people shy away from, but it’s an important thing to discuss to ensure you’ve got a good understanding of the potential risks to your health. We want to help you get familiar with the topic and remove the stigma through education! Let’s take a look at everything you should know about STDs.
What Are STDs?
STDs are sexually transmitted diseases that spread through sexual partners. Most STD’s are very treatable once they’ve been diagnosed. Anybody who’s sexually active is at risk for STDs.
How Do They Spread?
STDs are spread through sexual contact with an infected individual. This contact can be oral, vaginal, or anal. STD’s spread when people participate in sex without a condom. People in monogamous relationships are less likely to catch an STD. Generally, STD’s are spread among young people who participate in unprotected sex.
When Should You Get Tested?
You should get screened for STDs annually, or every time you have a new partner. Getting tested between partners helps to prevent you from spreading an STD to your next partner. You can even have an STD with no noticeable symptoms, so don’t wait for an obvious sign that it’s time to test!
Ask all of your potential partners when the last time they were tested, and if it wasn’t recently, ask them to get tested before engaging in sexual activities. You should also ask your sexual partners about their history, how many partners they’ve had, and share the same information about yourself. Remember always to use a condom. Birth control does not protect against STDs.
Where to Get Tested
The quickest and easiest place to go for your STD testing is a local urgent care center. Testing will be done using either a urine sample, swab test, or blood test. You can often get results immediately and get the treatment you need when you need it. Urgent care centers are able to provide STD testing at an affordable cost, in convenient locations, with hours that work for your schedule. Wait times are urgent care centers are typically less than an hour, so there’s no reason not to go!
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