Are you worried that you have put your sexual health at risk and may have contracted an STI? If you have had unprotected sex with someone who’s medical history you do now know, you have certainly put your wellness and wellbeing at risk.
Even if you feel perfectly healthy, the most important thing you should do first of all is to get tested. Many STIs have no symptoms, so don’t fall into the trap of assuming that you haven’t caught anything just because you are not suffering any unpleasant side effects yet. You can catch an STI through vaginal, anal or oral sex. You can also catch an STI from a patient of the same sex to you, as well as from a partner of the opposite sex.
Many STIs can be cured with a simple course of the right antibiotics. Other infections, such as HIV, cannot be cured at all, but can be treated in a long term way to avoid them getting any worse.
Many people don’t notice the symptoms of an STI, or don’t have symptoms at all, so the things to keep an eye out for include suffering from pain when you pass urine, finding blisters, spots, sores or lumps around the genital region or anus, or finding black powder or small white dots in your underwear (this could be eggs or droppings from pubic lice).
Women can also suffer from green or yellow vaginal discharge, and this may have an unpleasant odour. Women may also notice bleeding between their periods or after having sexual intercourse, or lower abdominal pain. Men may notice discharge from the penis or irritation of the urethra.
These can also be symptoms of other things, so don’t panic unnecessarily, but it is important to see a doctor to find out what is happening in your body and to get appropriate treatment.