Four Quick Important Steps To Take After Discovering STI Infection
Important things to do when you discovered you’ve been infected with STI
A sexually transmitted infection is a widespread disease. People get infected every year, and the number of cases is uncountable. Teenagers and young adults are the ones who get infected the most.
If you’ve been infected by any sexually transmitted diseases, you need to take these important steps to protect and prevent others from being infected. According to research, STI doesn’t show any symptoms; the best way to know if you’ve been infected is when you go for a checkup or a test.
The significant way to get treated is when you know your status; it will prevent you from passing it to others.
If you feel you’ve been infected, this article will be helpful to you. We will be talking about Important things to do when you’ve discovered you have STI.
(1) Go for a test
Like we said early, STI doesn’t show symptoms. This means that you can’t be so sure if you have it or not, and that’s the main reason why It’s important to go for a test.
Going for a test is better than assuming; many people have made this mistake in the past, which has affected them in different ways. If you want to find out if you’ve been affected, walk into any health care center, a clinic, or any public health agency.
When you visit any healing center; there are a couple of things to clarify to them; which includes;
- ● Explain to the health department why you feel like you’ve been infected. Let’s assume you had sex with an infected partner; tell the officer how the whole thing materialized.
- ● Tell the health officer the date you had the test and what you were told to do if you once had a test. Also, be sure of what your health provider is willing to test for you.
These tests might take a couple of weeks before you get the result. You need to understand that sometimes, there could be a temporary window period when you get exposed and the time you will be tested positive as an infected patient. In other words, you might be told to wait for a few hours before you get tested.
If you had a premature test between the period, there are chances of getting a negative result. Some sexually transmitted infection like HIV can be perceived via an antibody test.
If you’ve been infected by anyse similar disease, you might be asked to go back to the hospital for another round of tests; that could be after two weeks or one month.
If you have HIV, your Health provider might tell you to wait for at least 20 days after a presumed exposure. And the reason for this Is because antibodies take time to compile in your blood.
(2) Get used to safe sex.
As an infected person who’s already In a sexual relationship, try your best to protect your partner from getting infected; you need to protect yourself from additional infections in future. It’s more important to let your partner know your condition and frequently go for a test. You can abstain from sex till you are sure of your status. If it’s doesn’t work that way, it’s better to get used to safe sex and practice it till you get used to it.
On the other hand, practicing safe sex doesn’t give you the full assurance that you are on the safe side. Diseases like (HPV) human papillomavirus, and (HSV) herpes simplex virus can be transmitted through skin-to-skin touch. And the obstacle here is that condoms will not cover the entire skin, but condoms might lessen the risk of getting infected.
In addition to this, whether you’ve exposed your partner to STI or not, it’s important to practice safe sex and get used to it. Sometimes, diseases don’t spread when you have sex, nevertheless don’t take chances.
(3) Start the test
Once you are diagnosed, try to finalize the prescribed treatment.
Skipping your antibiotics is a risk, and you will develop an antibiotic-resistant disease; the downside of having Antibiotic-resistant infections is that they are very hard to treat.
According to research, people In North America suffer the most from antibiotic resistance, and the rate has increased inadequately.
Presently, we have several suggested antibiotics resistant to gonorrhea. Like Macrolides Fluoroquinolones Tetracyclines Sulfonamides
When you are diagnosed with STI like HSV, HIV, or HPV, ask your doctor how you can keep up with the infection. It would help if you asked them to guide you in managing the condition and preventing you from passing it to others.
An infected person can have an active sex life. If you’ve been diagnosed with STI, it is possible to live a normal life with your partner, don’t be discouraged about your condition.
You can also have an active sex life if you have one of these infections. but make sure your infection is carefully maintained.
(4) Tell your partner about your condition
Let your partner be aware that you’ve been exposed as an infected person. It’s hard to do this, but you have no choice; do it for the sake of the relationship.
If you don’t have the courage to tell your partner about your condition, you can use an online service. You can send them Anonymous messages about your current conditions.
There are several STIs that are easy to detect. Below is the list of noticeable STI
- ● Syphilis
- ● HIV
- ● Gonorrhea
- ● Chancroid
- ● Hepatitis B
- ● Hepatitis C
- ● Chlamydia