People are engaging in sexual activity with more partners than ever before in their lifetimes. Talking about sex seems to be less taboo than ever before but talking about STIs is still difficult for people. Studies show that huge percentages of people do not ask new partners about their sexual history and, in addition, large portions of the sexually active population aren’t even getting tested, or may never have been tested as long as they have been sexually active. A study carried out by Aviva Health insurance brokers highlight this problem in a survey carried out in 2013. More than half of those surveyed said they were not concerned with STIs or their general sexual health. Another study showed that young people feel there is a great stigma attached to STIs and, with that, they are reluctant to get tested for fear of being exposed. This is especially true of young people from rural areas and small towns who fear being named and shamed after requesting STI tests.
Where it might have been difficult to see a family doctor before, in a small locality where there aren’t sexual health clinics nearby, there are in place of them, online testing centres. These clinics operate in conjunction with laboratories across the country and provide speedy results, plus medication should a positive result be gleaned. Most importantly, they are discreet.
If you’ve never heard of online testing before, it might not sound like the most high tech or reliable way to get checked for STIs or, of obtaining treatments, however, it is completely legitimate. A test is ordered and posted out to the patient, a sample is then required. The sample is tested using the most up-to-date technology and, within a mere few days, results will be made available to the patient. Where a positive result is gleaned, a patient can often, depending on the particular online sexual health clinic, avail of free treatment. So, they operate just like a sexual health clinic but without the face to face interaction.
Taking care of our sexual health these days can’t be easier. These are reputable clinics that treat the patient and their information with discretion. They provide a quality service too, and speedy results are a priority.
Such online sexual health clinics always advise patients to inform their partners and can dispense treatment to a patient’s partner in the case of a positive result. A partner will not have to be tested before receiving treatment but will have to fill out a short medical history questionnaire, as all patients have to when seeking prescription medications. This is so as to make sure that antibiotic treatment is appropriate for the individual. If it is deemed inappropriate for the patient to be sent treatment, and if it is better they see a doctor in a face to face environment, the physicians who approve the prescriptions will send results to the appropriate GP or doctor.
Getting tested has never been easier. Once the clinic shows evidence that it is regulated by the appropriate authorities, online ordering and postal testing are the most discrete and the quickest routes to diagnosis and recovery.