Are you scared or ashamed of an alteration occurring in your genital organs? Are you worried about your sexual health? Do not fear!
Testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is quick, simple, and widespread. While not all genital changes are caused by STDs, knowing how to get tested can calm you down and, if necessary, help you get the right treatments as soon as possible.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Take the Test
Step 1. Make an appointment with your family doctor
One of the first things to do to find adequate treatment is to undergo a check-up; the doctor will be more than willing to help you with the necessary tests. The medical profession must not allow itself to judge or mock you for the problem that is afflicting you. If you are over the age of 14, he is certainly also available to help you overcome the disease without informing the parents of the real reason for your visit, although this also depends on the place where you live and the current legislation.
- This is a difficult topic to discuss with other people; luckily, you don't have to give any particular details over the phone. If the telephone operator asks you questions, you can simply say that you are not feeling well and that you want to have a regular check-up, after which, once you are in the doctor's office, you can explain the situation to him.
- If you are concerned that the parents may have a negative reaction, you can say the same excuse to them too.
Step 2. Take advantage of the opportunity to speak to your doctor
Do not be afraid to confide in the reasons that led you to be examined; on the other hand, his job is to help you and he will want to get the exam results as soon as possible. If you have an STD, it will help you get rid of it; remember that he cares about your health by profession and there shouldn't be any topics you need to feel uncomfortable about.
If necessary, he will be happy to recommend you to someone else who deals with the matter. For example, he might give you references of agencies that provide condoms and contraceptive pills at cheap prices or even for free
Step 3. Alternatively, you can go to the clinic
If you are worried about having to pay a private visit or being able to keep the problem secret, you can go to a public clinic, present in all the Italian ASLs, where you can undergo exams at cheap prices or often even for free. In addition, almost always in these centers they can also provide you with condoms or birth control pills.
If you don't know a center near your home, you can easily consult this site and find the most convenient location for you. On the site you will also find the telephone numbers of the various offices and you can call to make an appointment or simply to ask for more information about the exams to be performed
Step 4. Contact the school clinic
Many high schools (but not all) have an infirmary available to students, which you can almost always turn to in a completely discreet and anonymous way to perform tests for STDs and prevent possible unwanted pregnancies. Sometimes the cost of treatment can be included in the tuition; then ask the nurse for more information.
However, keep in mind that some educational establishments (especially those of a religious nature) may not offer this service
Step 5. Call the toll-free phone for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases
If you are looking for information on where and how to take the tests, you can call the toll-free number 800-861061 from all over Italy; the service has 6 telephone lines, active from Monday to Friday, from 13.00 to 18.00; you can have reliable and timely information about the ailment you suffer from.
Carefully follow the instructions of the switchboard to locate the clinic closest to you and enter the numbers that are proposed to you
Step 6. Make sure that the information you provide is handled with the utmost privacy
Most of the advice given at this stage of the call is confidential; this means your parents don't have to know where you will be testing. However, this is not always the standard option, so you should speak to the staff at the center you are contacting to determine how to proceed safely for you. Here are some questions you might ask:
- Will you call me at home or send a letter to communicate the results of the exams?
- Will you send an invoice to your home?
- Will you send me any other communication?
- Will the test be visible on my family's private health insurance bill? (if one has been stipulated).
Step 7. Consider taking a home test
Some home tests for the most common STDs (such as HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhea) have been made available for some years and have proven to be common and reliable tests. Usually it is necessary to take a urine sample or some swabs in certain parts of the body, which must then be sent to an analysis laboratory. You can easily find this kit at pharmacies at fairly cheap prices.
Note that there is some evidence that home tests tend to give more "false positives" than clinic tests. This means that if you take the test at home, the result of which shows that you have contracted a venereal disease, you must still perform other tests at a hospital or counseling center to be sure; there are indeed some possibilities that the home test is not accurate
Part 2 of 3: Knowing When to Take the Exam
Step 1. Get tested if you notice any changes in your genital organs
There are various reasons why a person wants to take a test, but the most urgent is the presence of changes in the appearance or feel of the genital organs. Generally speaking, anything "out of the ordinary" could mean an STD, although there can also be many different explanations. Each sexually transmitted disease has its own incubation period, which is the latency period you should wait after exposure to the pathogen and before testing; this period can vary from one day to three months, depending on the specific disease. Among the signs you need to pay more attention to and that must push you to do more checks are:
- Discomfort when urinating.
- Unusual bumps or sores.
- Persistent itching or irritation.
- Unusual secretions or bad odor.
- However, remember that all of these symptoms are not only caused by STIs; for example, some girls tend to confuse pain and discharge from a fungal infection with venereal disease.
Step 2. Get tested if you don't know your partner's (or yourself) previous sexual history
You need to keep in mind that when you have sexual intercourse with a person, that same person has also had intercourse with others. If your partner has had intimate encounters with other people after being tested for STDs, you should invite him to perform further tests before having sex with you. It is possible to contract the disease even without being aware of it, as the symptoms take a long time to unfold.
Conversely, if you have had sexual intercourse but have not undergone the tests in the meantime, you should perform them before starting an intimate relationship with a new partner
Step 3. Know when to get tested for chlamydia or gonorrhea
Doctors recommend different tests for various STDs; for example, the two most common (gonorrhea and chlamydia) involve performing a test once a year if you meet these requirements:
- You are a sexually active woman under the age of 25.
- You are a woman over 25 but you are at risk of contracting STIs; for example, you have multiple partners or you don't know your last partner's sexual history.
- You are a man and you have relationships with other men.
- You contracted HIV.
- You have been forced into sexual intercourse or performance against your will.
Step 4. Know when to get tested for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C
In these cases it is recommended to perform the tests less frequently or only when certain situations arise. For example, you should only investigate these three conditions more if you meet the following conditions:
- You tested positive for several STIs.
- You have had more than one partner since the last time you took the test.
- You take drugs intravenously (with the needle).
- You are a man and you have sex with other men.
- Are you pregnant or want it to happen soon.
- You have been forced into sexual intercourse or performance against your will.
Step 5. Please note that there are no exams for some STIs
Unfortunately, some tests do not make it possible to diagnose certain venereal diseases with absolute certainty; There are many tests available, but they are not always completely accurate and it is possible for false positives or negatives to occur. In these cases, the doctor must make a diagnosis by personally examining the symptoms.
- Herpes is a fairly common STD that does not require a definitive test; it can be diagnosed by taking tissue from the genital sore or through a blood test, but none of these are fully effective.
- There is no test for HPV (human papilloma virus) for men and in their case the diagnosis can only be made through observation of the blisters.
- Otherwise, it is possible to perform a Pap test on women to check for the presence of HPV (recommended every three years in the age group between 21 and 65 years).
Part 3 of 3: What to do in case of a positive result
Step 1. Take your time to manage the emotional aspect of the problem
Receiving a positive outcome for an STD can put your emotions into turmoil; you may feel embarrassed, frustrated, sad or even ashamed and not knowing how to deal with the situation. However, know that these are completely normal fears or feelings, so give yourself time to overcome these emotions. You don't have to feel bad about having a venereal disease; now you are definitely in a better situation than before, as you are aware of it and can then proceed with the right treatment.
Remember that you are not alone in receiving a positive diagnosis: STDs are extremely common. For example, in the United States alone, most sexually active men and women have had at least one episode of HPV in their lifetime
Step 2. Share the outcome with your partner
If you have an STD, you have a responsibility to inform the person you have had sex with during your illness. It can understandably be a delicate and difficult subject to address, but it is necessary; by communicating the problem you offer him the opportunity to undergo examinations in turn so that, if infected, he can begin to be treated as soon as possible. If you test positive for a serious illness, such as HIV, informing all partners you have had in the past can be a vitally important question.
Step 3. Start the therapy recommended by the doctor
Talk to the doctor and discuss the results of the test; you can usually speak to him when you receive the report, as it comes with instructions for making a later appointment. The earlier you start treatment, the better the healing process can be.
- Some STDs caused by bacteria, yeasts and parasites provide "cures" consisting of drugs that eradicate the disease forever; for example, gonorrhea is typically treated with antibiotics.
- However, for those caused by viruses, there is no real cure; in some cases it is necessary to wait for the body to fight the virus spontaneously. In others, however, the virus remains in the body for life and the treatments only allow the symptoms to disappear or reduce and limit the risk of spread.
Step 4. Prevent the spread of STD if you have contracted one
In this case, remember that you have a responsibility to inform each sexual partner before having intercourse, although there are some types of protection that help prevent contagion during sex.
- The simplest and most widespread is the use of condoms. Both the male and the female one considerably reduce the chances of transmitting a venereal disease to the partner; however, the condom does not completely cover the infected area and therefore even this method is not 100% effective. Either way, it's important that both of you make an informed decision before an intimate meeting.
- Read this article for more information.
Advice
- Sexually transmitted diseases are sometimes referred to by health professionals as "sexually transmitted infections", or STIs.
- It is not at all unusual for an STD not to generate any symptoms; Remember that the only way to know for sure if you have a venereal disease is to get tested.
- A free body that does not express judgments about people's sexual habits is the counseling center; you can get the help you are looking for by contacting the one closest to your home.
