You probably know that when it comes to your sexual health, you need to get tested for STIs. But do you know how frequently you should get testing or what tests you should get?
The experts at Allies for Health + Wellbeing have your back!
If you are having symptoms that you’re concerned about, contact your healthcare provider or visit one of Allies’ testing sites and get yourself tested. Many sexually transmitted infections don’t have noticeable symptoms, but if you have genital discharge, genital lesions or a rash, you should get tested as soon as possible.
You also should seek out testing if a current or previous sexual partner tells you that they have an infection. Ask for a full slate of STI testing since one infection can make you more susceptible to additional infections.
If you’re in a new relationship, have recently left a relationship, that’s a great time to make sure you’re up to date on your STI testing. If you have multiple sex partners, you may want to talk to your healthcare provider about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for HIV prevention and discuss how often you should get testing.
If you’ve had a risky sexual encounter and you’re worried about contracting syphilis or chlamydia, contact your healthcare provider and ask about doxy-PEP. Doxy-PEP is an antibiotic taken after sex that has been shown to reduce rates of syphilis and chlamydia.
Allies offers free testing at our office in East Liberty and at community partner sites. Click here to learn about free testing opportunities.
