STI tests can be nerve-wracking and sometimes time-consuming, but they are a necessary part of having a healthy sex life.
Nobody likes to feel embarrassed, especially at the doctor’s office, but leaving STIs untreated can lead to long-term damage. For example, diseases such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and bacterial vaginosis can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women and potentially lead to infertility in both men and women.
STI classic symptoms
Classic symptoms of STIs include (but are not limited to) pain or discomfort when urinating, discharge from the penis or vagina, blisters or a rash, and pain during sex. However, it is vital to remember that many people who are carrying an STI have no noticeable symptoms. This is why it is your responsibility to get checked regularly.
According to research, 14 per cent of men will leave a sexual infection untreated, compared to 10 per cent of women. Surprisingly, people aged 18 to 34 are almost three times as likely to leave an identified STI untreated compared to people over 55.
Reasons for leaving infections untreated include:
• Not wanting to show your private parts to doctors or face potentially awkward questions about your sexual activity
• Not wanting to be seen in a pharmacy, especially in a small village
• Not wanting to be seen at the doctor’s office by someone you know
• Not wanting to know because of the possible consequences, such as having to track down former partners or come clean to your current partner about an indiscretion.
If you are concerned that you may have an STI, why not avoid the embarrassment of a trip to your GP by ordering home STI kits Greenwich online from a website such as https://www.greenwichsexualhealth.org/home_sti_kits/ today?
You’re not alone
Almost a third of Londoners have experienced an STI, and 12 per cent of adults in the UK admit to having been infected with an STI. In 2015, London was responsible for a quarter of all new cases of STIs detected. At that time, 15-to-24-year-olds accounted for 62 per cent of those diagnosed with chlamydia.
The vast majority of STIs are easily treatable with antibiotics. Let your GP treat any infection so you can be confident that you are sexually healthy and you can enjoy sex without worrying. Remember to always use a condom to help prevent the transmission of STIs.
