STI Screening

In many cases there are no symptoms. However, if you are sexually active and develop any of the following problems you should go to a doctor immediately.

• Pain or burning during urination
• Pain during sex
• Abdominal pain
• 
Bumps on the genitals or anus
• Ulcers on the genitals or anus
• Unusual discharge or drip from the penis
• Testicular pain

In many cases there are no symptoms. However, if you are sexually active and develop any of the following problems you should go to a doctor immediately.

• Pain or burning during urination
• Pain during sex
• Abdominal pain
• Bumps on the genitals or anus
• Ulcers on the genitals or anus
• Unusual vaginal discharge

The first signs of an STD really depend on the type of STD that you have contracted. In a lot of cases, there are no simple definitions of “the first signs of an STD” due to the fact that most STDs do not have any symptoms.

Listed above are the symptoms that you are most likely to experience if you have contracted an STD, but each case is unique, there are no guarantees that you will experience clear signs of an STD.

We recommend that you get a sexual health screening at least once a year. If you have had unprotected sex, you need to consider getting tested on a more regular basis.

The most common sexually transmitted diseases are:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Trichomoniasis
• Syphilis

Chlamydia is a bacterial sexually transmitted disease, caused by the bacterium chlamydia trachomatis.

How do you get it?

You can get chlamydia through vaginal, anal and oral sex.

How long does it take to show up on an STD test?

Chlamydia may take 1-3 weeks to show up on a test, though it may take years for symptoms to become apparent.

What is the treatment for chlamydia?

Oral antibiotics

Gonorrhea is a bacterial sexually transmitted disease, caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

How do you get it?

You can get gonorrhea through vaginal, anal and oral sex.

How long does it take to show up on an STD test?

Gonorrhea may take 2-5 days to show up on a test, though it may take 30 days for symptoms to become apparent.

What is the treatment for gonorrhea?

Antibiotics received orally and via injection

Trichomoniasis is a parasitic sexually transmitted disease, caused by the parasite trichomonas vaginalis.

How do you get it?

You can get trichomoniasis through vaginal, oral and anal sex.

How long does it take to show up on an STD test?

Trichomoniasis may take 1-4 weeks to show up on a test, though it may take 28 days plus for symptoms to become apparent.

What is the treatment for trichomoniasis?

Oral antibiotics

What type of sexually transmitted disease is syphilis?

Syphilis is a bacterial sexually transmitted disease, caused by the bacterium treponema pallidum.

How do you get it?

You can get syphilis through vaginal, oral and anal sex, however, it is also contracted easily through skin to skin contact if you have active chancres on the skin.

How long does it take to show up on an STD test?

Syphilis may take 90 days to show up on a test, though symptoms of syphilis may take an extended period of time to become noticeable, and are dependant on the stage and severity of your syphilis diagnosis.

What is the treatment for syphilis?

Antibiotics, most commonly penicillin, administered via injection.

What type of sexually transmitted disease is HPV?

HPV or human papillomavirus is a viral sexually transmitted disease. It is caused by the human papillomavirus.

How do you get it?

You can get HPV through vaginal or anal sex.

How long does it take to show up on an STD test?

HPV may take years to show up on a test as the may develop over a long period of time. The symptoms of HPV may take years to develop and it is dependent on the type of HPV contracted.

What is the treatment for HPV?

The treatment for HPV depends on the strain of HPV contracted. There are a number of topical medications and in other instances, warts or lesions will be treated by a physician. In instances where the HPV virus has developed into cancer, treatment will largely depend on advice as set out by your physician.

There are a number of worrying consequences that may result from untreated sexually transmitted diseases. The fact that symptoms are often scarce highlights the very real need for regular screening. If you have been living with a sexually transmitted disease for an extended period of time, you are at a higher risk for health complications down the line.

Some of the most common consequences of an untreated sexually transmitted disease include:

Becoming infertile – Preventable and curable sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are the leading causes of a condition called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (P.I.D), this condition causes inflammation in the genital tract, which may damage the fallopian tubes leading to conception complications and infertility, particularly in women. You also have a higher risk of suffering from tubal and ectopic pregnancies if you have a sexually transmitted disease.

Pregnancy complications – Congenital sexually transmitted disease arise when the active condition is passed from mother to child, either during pregnancy or childbirth, this is particularly common in conditions such as syphilis and herpes. Sexual health screening is recommended for those who are trying to get pregnant to rule out pregnancy complications down the line. It is very important to attend regular screening when you are trying to conceive.

Increasing your risk of contracting other sexually transmitted diseases – If you have an existing sexually transmitted disease, your likelihood of contracting another sexually transmitted disease increases, especially in the case of syphilis and herpes which involve open lesions or sores. These openings on the body leads to higher vulnerability and greater access points for other infections, particularly HIV.

Increasing your risk of developing other health complications – There are a number of health complications that may arise as a result of sexually transmitted diseases due to the fact that your immune system is weakened when you are carrying an infection.

Infecting your present and future partners – When we are involved in a sexual relationship, it is our responsibility to our partners to be honest about our sexual health status. It is also our responsibility to continuously get screened for sexually transmitted diseases. Keep the lines of communication open with your partner, maybe even consider getting tested together to make the process easier.

• You become sexually active
• You have had unprotected sex
• You are experiencing symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection
• You are entering into a new sexual relationship
• You have received a notification from a previous partner that they are infected (STIs can remain dormant for years and/ or take up to three weeks to become detectable.)

The most important message necessary for patients coming for testing is not to urinate for 1 hour before test. For the test to be effective you must capture first sample when in bathroom.

The most important message necessary for patients coming for testing is not to urinate for 1 hour before test. For the test to be effective you must capture first sample when in bathroom.