Have you infected your partner?

Recent studies have shown that ONE in FOUR worry they might have infected their partner with a sexually transmitted infection because of unprotected sex.

Even more worryingly, an extremely high number of these people won’t even know they are infected, as STI’s commonly show no symptoms. ‘In fact 70 to 80 per cent of women show no symptoms of having Chlamydia infections, compared with around 50 per cent of men… and approximately half of women don’t show symptoms of gonorrhea’ says Dr Knut Scroeder.

Statistics show that 38% of people refrain from using condoms on holiday because they get caught up in the heat of the moment. “The first time I got Chlamydia was in San Francisco, 2007. The second time I got Chlamydia was in London, 2009. In neither case did I have any symptoms whatsoever. Well, in a way, I did. Wikipedia lists the symptoms of Chlamydia, but it is missing what is often the most crucial one: “Girls texting you saying you gave them Chlamydia.” Says Salvador Ambrosia.

Funnily enough, despite having unprotected sex abroad, a significant percentage of both men and women said that it didn’t occur to them to go and get tested after they returned home!

So, how do we begin to tackle this? The answer is pretty simple: Swallow your ego and go and get a screening at a sexual health clinic. You could essentially be toying with both your own and your partner’s fertility if STI’s like Chlamydia go untreated.

It doesn’t help when a number of couples find it difficult to broach the subject of sex anyway… Choosing not to speak about the problem, or avoiding the subject can have detrimental effects on both health and psychological well-being.

What does a sexually transmitted disease test entail?

This depends on what you’re being tested for, but the test is likely to include an examination of the genitals, skin, mouth, anus, providing a urine and blood sample and a swab being taken from the throat, rectum, and urethra, vagina and cervix.

It’s crucial to realise that the screening process is quick, efficient and pain free. Ten minutes of feeling slightly out of your comfort zone is definitely the best option to avoid passing on the likes of Chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea or even HIV to a partner.