5 Things Everyone Should Know About STIs

You don’t need to have had a lot of sexual partners to get an STI. If you are sexually active, even if you’ve only had sex once, you can be at risk. STIs don’t discriminate – it doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, where you live - STIs can be passed from person to person through vaginal, anal and oral sex, genital contact and by sharing sex toys. Anyone can get an STI.

There are almost 100,000 new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections every year in Australia²

The only method of contraception that can help protect against STIs are condoms. Whilst they can’t stop all infections - they are the best way to help prevent many infections from being passed on through sex³.

To help protect against STIs during oral sex, a dam (a square piece of latex or polyurethane) can be used as a barrier between the mouth, vagina or anus.

Whilst talking about using condoms with a partner can be difficult, the more you talk about sex and condoms in your relationship the more comfortable it will feel.

Prevention is best when it comes to STIs, but there are many effective treatments, especially if they are started ASAP.

Act quickly because if they are left untreated, many STIs can become painful, uncomfortable and can be passed on to someone else.

Antibiotics can help in the treatment of infections like chlamydia and medicines can help reduce the symptoms of other STIs, like herpes⁴. Viruses such as genital herpes and HIV can be treated to reduce symptoms but will never leave the body.

The best place to get tested is at your doctor⁵. It is important to keep in mind that for many services you’ll need an appointment so visit their website or give them a call first.
The good news is if you have a Medicare Card most doctors can bulk bill, meaning getting an STI test is absolutely free⁶. Just make sure to bring your Medicare Card to present to the doctor.

If you’re embarrassed about raising the conversation with your doctor, why not bring it up when you’re visiting them for something else, such as an injury. While you’re still in your appointment say something like: I know I came here to talk about my sore shoulder, but I‘d also like to get an STI test too. Any results from STI testing are kept totally confidential.

STI testing for both men and women can be as simple as giving a urine sample, having blood taken, using a swab on the genital area or having a physical examination. If a swab is needed, some services will even offer you the option of using it yourself.

When you think about STIs, lumps, bumps or rashes might come to mind. However, in many cases STIs don’t have any symptoms at all. This means you can’t rely on waiting for an obvious sign or symptom to get tested and you can still pass them on unknowingly.