STD testing is crucial for your health. If you’re sexually active, you should be tested regularly. Not all STDs are symptomatic, so you may have one without knowing. And complications can occur without treatment.
Women’s Care Center Parkersburg provides complimentary, confidential STD testing and treatment for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. We’re here to help.
Why Should You Get Tested?
You may feel testing is unnecessary, even if you are sexually active. However, STD testing protects your health and that of others. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of testing.
1. Anyone can be at risk.
Anyone who is sexually active can be at risk, even if they only have one sexual partner. STDs are spread primarily through sexual contact and bodily fluids like blood or semen.
Having sexual intercourse with multiple partners increases your chance of contracting an STD, especially if you don’t know their health history.
2. Your baby can contract an STD through pregnancy or childbirth.
If you’re pregnant, you may wonder whether you can contract an STD. Pregnant women can still get one, and they may pass the STD to their baby during pregnancy or childbirth.
Testing and treatment can prevent this and protect you and your baby from complications.
3. You may not have symptoms.
Common symptoms of STDs include pain during sexual intercourse, pain or burning with urination, unusual vaginal bleeding, odorous discharge, and swollen lymph nodes. However, not everyone who has an STD will have symptoms.
Regular testing will identify an STD and prevent long-term problems.
4. Complications from untreated STDs can be severe.
Forgoing treatment or not testing in the first place can cause serious, long-term complications, including:
- Arthritis
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Infertility
- Pregnancy complications
- Heart disease
- Pelvic pain
- Eye inflammation
- Certain cancers
Getting tested for STDs can prevent these complications from occurring and preserve your health.
5. Learn how to protect yourself and others.
Prevention isn’t just about testing and treatment. Identifying risk factors, like having multiple sexual partners or recreational drug use, is critical.
When you get tested at Women’s Care Center Parkersburg, our medical team can discuss risk factors and prevention techniques. You’ll learn the importance of speaking to a partner about each other’s sexual history, staying away from drugs or excess alcohol, and more.
Contact Us
Make an appointment today to learn more about our complimentary STD testing and treatment services.
Women’s Care Center Parkersburg is here for you. We want you to get answers and move forward.