Testing for Sexual Transmitted Diseases

These STDs often co-exist in the same infected individual and can be passed simultaneously to a sexual partner. Since treatment for each of these conditions may differ, it is excellent medical practice to test for both if either one is suspected. Furthermore, these serious STDs may not cause any symptoms at first. Later, if they are not treated, they can cause pain and serious health problems, such as arthritis and infertility. Get screened annually if: You’re a sexually active girl or woman under age 25 You’re a woman older than 25 and at risk of STDs — for example, if you’re having sex with a new partner or multiple partners You’re a man who has sex with men Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening is done either through a urine test or through a swab inside the penis in men or from the cervix in women. The sample is then analyzed in a laboratory. Screening is important, because if you don’t have signs or symptoms, you can be unaware that you have either infection.

Syphilis is a serious bacterial infection. It is usually passed from one person to another by sexual contact. If it is not treated, syphilis can lead to permanent brain, nerve, and tissue damage.

Certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cervical cancer while other varieties of HPV can cause genital warts. Most sexually active people become infected with HPV at some point in their lives, but never develop symptoms. The virus typically disappears within two years. No HPV screening test is available for men, in whom the infection is diagnosed only by visual inspection or biopsy of genital warts. In women, HPV testing involves: Pap test. Pap tests, which check the cervix for abnormal cells, are recommended every two years for women between ages 21 and 30. Women age 30 and older can wait three years between Pap tests if their past three tests have been normal. HPV test. Samples for the HPV test are collected from the cervical canal. This test usually isn’t offered to women younger than 30 because HPV infections that will ultimately clear up on their own are so common in this age group. HPV has also been linked to cancer of the vulva, vagina, penis, and anus. Vaccines can protect both men and women from some types of HPV, but they are most effective when administered before sexual activity begins. Avance Care offers Pap test, HPV test, and Gardasil vaccine for diagnosis and prevention of HPV.

HIV is the abbreviation used for the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), a life-threatening disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages HIV testing, at least once, as a routing part of medical care if you’re an adolescent or adult between the ages of 13 and 64. The CDC advises yearly HIV testing if you are at high risk of infection.

Hepatitis B is a viral infection of the liver. The liver becomes inflamed and tender. It may also become swollen. Areas of liver tissue may be destroyed by the inflammation. Hepatitis B is a serious, sometimes severe and even fatal type of hepatitis. In addition to being a sexually transmitted disease (STD), Hepatitis B is a blood-borne pathogen and exposure to the blood of an infected person may result in infection.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver. The liver becomes inflamed. Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus. The virus is spread mainly through contact with infected blood. Sometimes it is spread through sexual contact.

Genital herpes is a common STD caused by a virus. The virus is called the herpes simplex virus, or HSV. It causes painful blisters that break open and form sores in the genital area. No good screening test exists for herpes, a viral infection that can be transmitted even when an infected person doesn’t have symptoms. Your doctor may take a tissue scraping or culture of blisters or early ulcers, if you have them, for examination in a laboratory; but a negative test doesn’t rule out herpes as a cause for genital ulcerations. A blood test also may help detect a herpes infection, but results aren’t always conclusive. Some blood tests can help differentiate between the two main types of the herpes virus. Type 1 is the virus that more typically causes cold sores, although it can also cause genital sores. Type 2 is the virus that more typically causes genital sores. Still, the results may not be totally clear, depending on the sensitivity of the test and the stage of the infection. False-positive and false-negative results are possible.