Contraceptives

You may be satisfied with the effectiveness of your low dose birth control but there is one thing it DOES NOT do for you and that is give you protection against STIs. You knew this though- didn’t you?

OK, so you also know about the STI called Chlamydia and you’re confident you won’t get it because you always use a barrier method ( cap, femidom, condom, diaphragm)  of birth control right?  ALWAYS used protection- not missed even ONCE?  Yep, it only takes ONE sexual act (notice I did not write ‘intercourse’) for one partner to pass an STI on to another, male or female so this is a plea for you to consider popping in for an STI test, especially if you have had multiple sex partners. No, it’s not a big deal to get tested. Watch the video I mention below.

You may know that an untreated STI can lead to PID in women (pelvic inflammatory disorder) that in turn can lead to sterility but -did you know that Chlamydia in men can affect sperm function and male fertility?

It’s much less stressful and difficult than you think to get yourself tested!

Watch this video and you’ll see that getting tested for Chlamydia requires no more than guys peeing in a pot and gals doing a vaginal swab THEMSELVES in the privacy of the bathroom.  That’s right- no nurse fiddling about ‘down there’ and it’s all over in a few minutes, literally ‘in and out’!

All consults are completely confidential, even the results are delivered to you discreetly in case you are worried about your parents finding out.
Treatment is easy too:  4 antibiotic tablets and no sex for 7 days at least. Of course the smart thing to do is to always  use a condom anyway, it’s becoming ‘uncool’ not to.

Be a HERO though, if the result comes back positive.  Let your partner(s) know so they can get tested too.