As technology has progressed, STDs are becoming easier and easier for medical professionals to clear up using medication. While some STDs – such as HIV, HPV, and Genital Herpes – are life long conditions that won’t go away, they are becoming easier and easier to manage long term. However, preventing the initial spread of STDs is important for the health and safety of yourself and any sexual partners you may have.
As expert providers of a range of sexual health services, our team at Broadgate GP have seen it all, and we’re on hand to offer you outstanding advice, guidance, and information on the best ways to keep yourself and others safe from STDs!
Let us Clear Up Some Misinformation
STDs are nothing to be ashamed of. Even the most careful of us may come into contact with some of the most common types at one point or another in our sexually active adult lives. However – despite the fact that in the UK in 2019, almost half a million people were diagnosed with one form of STD or another – many UK citizens believe they are not at risk of coming into contact with an STD. It’s important to remember that accidents happen, and you shouldn’t be so quick to believe the misconceptions surrounding STDs:
STDs Go Away on Their Own:
STDs will not go away on their own if you ignore it. In fact, that is how they ultimately spread – by having multiple sexual partners while having an active STD. Instead of ignoring them, get in touch with your local sexual health clinic to get your problem cleared up descreetly.
Condoms Protect Perfectly:
Unfortunately, a condom isn’t 100% effective in protecting you from contracting certain STDs, such as syphilis, genital warts, HPV, HIV, and Herpes that can be caught through skin-on-skin contact. Condoms are effective for preventing the transmission of STDs through bodily fluid.
I Would Know if I Had an STD:
Some people don’t show symptoms of an STD at all. In fact, 80% of women and 50% of men have no signs of common diseases such as chlamydia but the infection still does lasting damage to the body, such as causing infertility, ectopic pregnancies, and long-term pelvic and abdominal pain.
Anybody who is sexually active is at risk of contracting and spreading an STD. The only ways to reduce your risk is by using protection such as condoms and dental dams, and being in a long-term, monogamous relationship.
How You Can Help
There are several ways you can protect yourself from contracting an STD other than abstaining from sex. Here at Broadgate GP, we’re here to offer some valuable advice that can help to keep you safe:
Avoid Drunk Sex: When we drink (or do certain drugs) we lose our ability to think things through clearly – making it a lot more likely that you will have unprotected sex with someone who’s sexual history you aren’t aware of.
Limit your Number of Sexual Partners: Having fewer sexual partners decreases your risk of contracting an STD drastically. For example, if you have 5 sexual partners and each one of them has 5 sexual partners, you’re increasing the risk that somebody in the group could contract an STD.
Vaccinate Where Possible: Both Hepatitis B and HPV have a vaccine available, which won’t stop the infection from spreading, but will limit the symptoms of the infections to make them less likely to spread further.
Get Regularly Tested: Some STDs don’t present symptoms – including some of the most common like chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and HPV – so getting a regular sexual health screening is a great way to make sure that you’re healthy and reduce the risk of spreading an infection.
Open and Honest: Discuss your sexual history with your partner and vice versa. Have either of you had a STD in the past? Is it cleared up now? How were you treated? While it may seem off putting to have this discussion, it’s an important one to have. Understanding your partners sexual history – and vice versa – is one of the most important ways you can help prevent the transmission of STDs.
Use Condoms: While they aren’t 100% effective, condoms are the best form of protection when it comes to bodily fluids. There are a few different types of condom to use, including latex condoms, female condoms, and dental dams.
Contact Broadgate GP today for more information
If you would like more information on how to keep yourself safe and prevent the spread of STDs, Broadgate GP can help! Not only do we have a 5* sexual health clinic, but our specialised doctors are fully trained to help you to deal with any issue you may have. Don’t delay, get in touch with us today!
For more information on different STDs, check out our blog! Full of useful information on different STDs like genital warts, chlamydia, HIV, and more!
