With the party season now in full swing, doubtless some of us will get more carried away than we originally intended. However before the memory of a night of unprotected passion is put in the file marked ‘experience’, it is worth considering doing one responsible thing to ensure that the only hangover from the evening is the one you get the following day.
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) can take between 7 – 14 days to be detectable, so for those whose Christmas and New Year’s Eve come in with a bang then the sensible thing to do is to get an STI test.
STIs are at epidemic proportions in the UK – currently stats show that someone finds out they have Chlamydia every 5 minutes – so unprotected sex carries a real risk of contracting an STI.
Since many infections don’t have any symptoms people often won’t realize when they have been unlucky.
There are several options for testing so there is really no excuse for not doing the sensible thing
GP: Local GPs offer STI testing in the same way they offer any GP consultation. Whilst appointments can take a while to arrange, the service is free and treatments are charged at usual NHS rates.
Genito-urinary Medicine (GUM) Clinics: GUM clinics offer both HIV and STI testing. Staff there offer advice and support before and after testing, help patients determine the treatments that may be necessary and provide information about sexual health. GUM clinic services are free, confidential and anonymous.
Online Testing: Online clinics tend to be the choice of busy professionals.
They are anonymous and quick and best of all, everything can be done remotely – although there is an associated cost. One example of this service is The STI Clinic, which offers testing for up to 7 specific infections, including Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Herpes.
Visitors simply register and pay to receive a testing kit – which is based on giving a urine sample. The kit, which usually arrives the next day, needs to be completed and posted back to the clinic. The results are available online in a couple of working days.
If someone does have an infection, clinics will automatically get in touch to confirm the results and request that a simple online medical questionnaire is completed in order that the correct medication can be posted out in return. Consequently visitors can register and get tested and treated in less than a week.
Please note that the clinic has decided not to offer a test for HIV as they feel that a face to face consultation is more appropriate.
Nor do they test for Hepatitis B and C as the most reliable results are obtained from a blood test. If you would prefer a face to face consultation with a doctor for any STD test then that can be arranged.
