It’s perfectly normal to be concerned about your sexual health. Sadly, rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been increasing for the last few years. In April 2021, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that STIs had reached an all-time high for the 6th year in a row, with 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in 2019 alone. Unfortunately, things aren’t improving yet.
A healthy sex life is an important part of overall well-being for most people. In a perfect world, protecting your sexual health would be no different that protecting any other aspect of your overall health. However, it’s also true that fear and stigma can discourage people from seeking testing or treatment. It takes a lot of courage to take these first steps, so we hope that this guide will help empower you to know how at risk you may or may not be.
Before we begin, it’s important to note that the only certain way to know if you have an STI is to get tested by a medical professional. Integrity Urgent Care offers compassionate, discreet testing in all of our clinics. If you’re ready to move forward, you can learn more about our services or find a clinic convenient to you.
When do STI symptoms start?
It’s important to catch STIs as early as possible if you can. Knowing when an infection occurred makes it easier to know what the infection might be and how you might have received it. In some cases, you may see symptoms within days or weeks. Other times, you might not experience symptoms for months or even years. Let’s discuss some of the most common STIs and outline their noteworthy symptoms. First, let’s clear up a few misconceptions about STIs and STDs.