JoL Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 Well, today was the very first time i've visited my local sexual health clinic. Full check up for everything, very daunting, but im really glad i mustered the courage to do it. I'm 22 and have had 2 partners and even though im 99% sure im ok, i still thought its time to be an adult..if im old enough to have sex, im old enough to get tested! I dont have any symptoms, or any reason to believe i have been exposed to anything nasty, but still- i thought it was a good idea to get a thorough check up, so i can be confident about where i stand with future partners when they ask me about stds. After my visit i wondered- how many teenagers/20-somethings out there are responsible enough to get tested for STDs when they have been sexually active? Do most people wait till they have symptoms for something before getting tested? Does anyone have a std check up plan or schedule that they follow? Like getting a check before each new partner, once a year, or whatever?!
NiCoLe20 Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 i get checked every 6 months... in my past ive had sex w/o a condom with a few guys and its real scary... i was also young and thinking that just b/c im on birth control im fine... but ive been going every 6 months for the past 3 yrs and have been 100% std free.... im not on birth control anymore so i gotta be extra careful... she gave me the morning after pill just incase if anything
Merin Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 I get tested every year.. although I don't have unprotected sex, I still think it's a good idea. I'm also not hesitant though to ask someone BEFORE we become intimate, have they been tested, and do they have those results.. Maybe a little forward and/or bold.. but when it comes to be safe like that, I don't play around.
Hund1976 Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 Well if I was having unprotected sex with multiple girls I guess I would get tested periodically. I'm in the military and got tested a little over a year ago and have been with the same girl since then so I haven't thought about it. When I was younger I was pretty risky when it came to sex, luckily nothing bad happened to me. I would guess a lot of younger people probably feel the same way and think to themselves "it can't happen to me" and go around sticking their pole in places they shouldn't.
tattoomytoe Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 i get tested when i get my annual check up, and have been since i have been sexually active. it is one of the most responsble things to do for your own personal sexual health, IMO.
Author JoL Posted January 27, 2005 Author Posted January 27, 2005 I totally agree. It's better to know what's going on down there, just in case you need treatment..best case scenario it's just a check up and is the right thing to do. Unfortunately I know of friends my own age who practice un-safe sex with people they really don't know at all well...and with more than one or two people..then claim "oh..he isn't the kind of guy to have an STD.." like..how can you tell?! So irresponsible..I have given many lectures on the issue and I just say now- if you're going to be irresponsible and silly then I don't want to know!
tattoomytoe Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 tell those people that That person may not look the type, but you have not seen every other person that they have slept with, and who those people had slept with, and soo on. Most of the time, i really am not woried abouth the people i am with, but i worry about who they were with before me.
blind_otter Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 I am pretty sexually active. I get tested every 4 months for everything else, and every 6 months for HIV. Because I've had the clap twice now, from my ex's. yay.
emopunk Posted January 27, 2005 Posted January 27, 2005 I haven't since I've been with my current girlfriend, but that's one of those perks about monogamy that's never talked about. But hell yeah, its a good idea. The only idea that makes sense to me.
Author JoL Posted January 28, 2005 Author Posted January 28, 2005 blind_otter..did your exs have any symptoms?? That really sucks! Its a good thing you got tested for it anyway, could have been nasty to find out a few years down the track
LeggzDiamond Posted January 28, 2005 Posted January 28, 2005 I ended up getting Herpes from a guy I had been with for 3 years. And we were totally monogamous. I get tested even in a relationship. Some stuff doesn't just show up over night.
blind_otter Posted January 28, 2005 Posted January 28, 2005 Originally posted by JoL blind_otter..did your exs have any symptoms?? That really sucks! Its a good thing you got tested for it anyway, could have been nasty to find out a few years down the track Nope, neither of them had any symptoms, and the first time I got it, I had no symptoms, either - FOR 8 MONTHS! I was just getting my annual and they were like, BTW, you have chlamydia. Here's some antibiotics. But whatever it was screwed up my plumbing permanently and I get recurrent UTIs all the time, now, and have been on and off antibiotics for the last 6 months or so.
Author JoL Posted January 28, 2005 Author Posted January 28, 2005 OUCH! that SUCKS! Why do you keep getting UTIs? I had a UTI a couple of months back, just out of nowhere, and my doctor tested me for chlamydia and gonorrhoea JUST to be sure i was clear for for both. Luckily i was fine. But some docs would have just sent me on my way without even running a test. My doc said it is SO common for girls to get chlamydia and not know it for years..until it as he said it "steralizes" them and they can't have kids! At my recent pap smear/std/hiv check up at the sex health clinic, the nurse said she sees so many girls with it too. Its the most common STD i think for girls in their teens and 20s. That's what I think it is so important to get check-ups if you are sexually active. If you are old enough to have sex, you are old enough to visit the doctor and be responsible. I think ANYONE who isn't prepared to get tested and checked up is not mature enough for sex. Period! Ive had 2 commited long term partners- and the chance of me catching something is very low, and as far as i know im STD free, but i still need to know, for my own peace of mind! You dont need to have multiple partners or have had many one night stands for there to be a chance of catching something. For anyone out there who is in doubt, scared, nervous or in denial PLEASE get tested..it could save you a lot of heartache and problems down the track! If you are too nervous to go to a doctor, visit your local sexual health clinic. The nurses and doctors are GREAT and really laid back- they do not judge, i highly recommend it over a G.P. visit for sure!
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