Sexually Transmitted Infections – Overview

Transcript

“Sexually transmitted infections come in many forms and they are almost always transmitted by sexual intercourse or anal intercourse or oral sex. Sometimes sexually transmitted infections can be transmitted in other ways, through sharing of needles or potentially through just rubbing together of mucous membranes or touching. So if you have any concerns about being exposed to a sexually transmitted infection, it’s really important to see your doctor, go to the clinic and ask for the appropriate investigations. Now in a woman, a sexually transmitted infection screen would involve a pelvic exam and a cervical swab, and that would look for chlamydia gonorrhea. It could look for trichomonas. It could also look for vaginal infections that are not sexually transmitted, like yeast or candida and BV or bacterial vaginosis. But if you want to have a complete investigation for sexually transmitted infections, have a clear screen. You also need to have a blood test or serology, which would include a test for HIV, for hepatitis B and C, and for syphilis. And in a man, it would be the same blood test and the swab would involve a penal or urethral swab looking for chlamydia or gonorrhea.

And it’s really important when you’ve been possibly exposed to a sexually transmitted infection that you talk to your partner, because it’s through contact tracing and making sure that we’re responsible sexually, that we can limit the spread of sexually transmitted infections. It’s important that you consider how to prevent a sexually transmitted infection and that would be therefore by avoiding sexual contact, by using protection like a male condom or a female condom, by knowing who your sexual partner is also sexually active with. If they have multiple partners or if you have multiple partners, and really great if both of you can come into the relationship with a clear screen for sexually transmitted infection so that you know that there’s nothing harboring in your partner, when you start to have those sexual experiences.”