STD Tests You Should Be Aware Of

There are various kinds of reasons why a person will be contemplating on getting an STD testing. Even doctors and medical professionals have different opinions when it comes to who must be tested for sexually transmitted disease. Generally speaking though, the moment an official recommendation is released, it is mostly based on sexual activity and infection rates, translated into statistics. But on a personal perspective, it still is best to gather your own information and educate yourself, especially if there is reason to believe that you may be prone to getting an STD.

In reality, there’s nothing wrong in trying to learn more about STD testing guidelines and it in fact can provide you very helpful information about the possibility of you getting tested based on certain factors such as your sexual activity.

Now if you look at yourself as a sexually active person, CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommends that you surrender yourself to an HIV testing, whether you’re a typical adult or a pregnant woman. Thanks to modern technology, there now are urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, which means it no longer is as invasive as before. Know that everyone has the right and freedom to go to a doctor and have these tests requested.

For individuals who are under the age of 24, it is also recommended to get STD testing for the reason that a 2006 surveillance report from CDC revealed a stunning fact, stating that half of STD cases during that year belonged to the age group of 15 to 24. This is very true when it comes to common diseases like HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea. Remember though that there’s really no uniform or established standard on how often you should get tested; the best way to figure that out is by evaluating or looking closely at your sexual behavior.

Now you may be asking what if you’re a male who exclusively conducts sexual relationships with women? If you happen to be in this distinction, you should know that doctors don’t really need to test you for all STD types except for HIV. However, there still are cases when you are required to get tested, say for instance when you’re showing symptoms of a specific STD that’s not HIV.

Lastly, if you consider yourself as a man who is sexually active with other men, then you must make it a point to get tested for both HIV and syphilis. The reason for this is because this particular group has high rates of getting those infections compared to other groups. But the frequency of your screenings generally depend on the number of partners and how active your sex behavior is.… Read More

How to Be Tested For STDs

It is good to note that when going for STD testing, everything is a variable and things from the wait time, the needle size, the friendliness of the reception and even the smell of the waiting room. A known fact is that at times, the experience can be good whereas other times it is not that pleasant, but there are some guidelines that the person can follow.

The person should not look at the needle because it is never a pleasant experience no matter how tough the person is thus the person should focus on something else or opt to talk to the person that is drawing their blood. If the individual is doing a urine test then drinking water will help the person to supply the urine and ease with the blood test and the more the person is hydrated, the easier it is to get a vein.

Other people experience nausea when withdrawing blood, and if the individual is hungry or they had a poor meal, then their stomach could feel worse. A known fact is that the person needs to get some food and they can even bring some crackers to be eaten after the appointment plus eating will help the person avoid getting cranky that can be ugly during a clinic visit.

If the client is a woman, they need to go to for testing when they are not having their periods because when a woman is menstruating the iron levels decrease which may cause the person to feel nausea and a feeling of weakness if they are to have their blood drawn. If possible, the person can reschedule the appointment.

The person needs to know what they are testing for and how they will receive their results and most STDs like Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Trichomoniasis and HIV the person can get results back after a couple of days. The person has to ask what they are being tested for and they also have a right to request for any test that they think is important and then ask how they will receive the results either by a letter, a phone call or any other method. The person has to ask if they can call in for the results if they do not have a phone number that they can be reached at and then make sure that they follow through.

The person needs to avoid paying attention to what other people may be thinking because in as much as the person may feel like everyone knows and is judging them but this is not the case.… Read More