Why it is important to get an STD Test

Why it is important to get an STD Test is republished from: express STD

People who are sexually active are required to go through STD Testing at least once in their lifetime. These tests help detect and monitor the progress, if any, of diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea. This is important because these diseases can cause serious problems to a person's health. If you are one of the millions of people living in the United States who have been diagnosed with some STD, you might be required by your physician to get tested.

Why is it important for STDs to be detected early? Some people do not seek treatment or try to avoid getting tested for an STD because they feel that they will be stigmatized. However, this is not true. Many STDs, when detected early, can be cured. The only way to know if you are sexually active and suffering from an STD or not is to get tested.

The easiest way to determine whether you need to be tested for STDs is to get a physical examination done. A doctor can easily check for visible signs of infections on the cervix, genitals, and urethra. If there are visible sores on these parts of the body, then you should be tested for STDs.

One STD that is most often detected during routine STD testing is chlamydia. A standard STD panel usually detects this disease along with gonorrhea, genital warts, and syphilis. You can go to your doctor and have a simple examination done. During the exam, the doctor may take a sample of your vaginal discharge or your cervix discharge. You will be screened for pregnancy, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis with a standard STD test.

If you are sexually active with multiple partners, you need to get tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Condoms do not offer any protection against these diseases, so you need to use condoms during sexual intercourse. However, if you are not married and have no children, you need to get tested for STDs yearly. Get tested for bacterial infections like gonorrhea and herpes by getting a simple pelvic exam. You can go to your doctor to have this exam.

If you are sexually active with multiple partners, you should consider getting tested for HIV. A recent study suggests that gay men are at higher risk of contracting HIV. However, you should not start seeking treatment for HIV unless your doctor says it is necessary. Go to your doctor to find out about risk factors for HIV and STDs.