April is STD Testing Awareness Month

It’s April, which means STD Awareness Month is upon us. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about STDs, which is why Dr. Gueye at Visionary Women’s Health in the Baltimore MD area, is committed to spreading the truth about sexually transmitted diseases and infections (also called STDs or STIs).

In this article, we set the record straight about STDS: what they are, how to prevent them, how STD testing works, and how STDs they are treated.

Who Gets STDs?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that every year, 20 million new cases of STDs occur in the United States - the medical costs of which come with a price tag of $16 billion. In total, it is believed that a total of 110 million Americans have an STD. In other words, anyone who is sexually active can contract an STD - from teenagers to senior citizens.

Why isn’t STD testing a more common practice?

Since many Americans with STDs do not experience symptoms, a large percentage of STDs go unnoticed and untreated - which can have very detrimental health consequences.

For example, if gonorrhea or chlamydia has been left untreated in women, it can result in pelvic inflammatory disease, which can lead to infertility. Rather than run that type risk, any sexually active women in the Baltimore, MD area are strongly encouraged to visit Visionary Women’s Health for STD testing.

Many people assume their annual medical check-up will include STD testing, but this is not always the case. Many primary care doctors’ offices only provide STD testing to patients who request it.

Do I Need an STD Test?

It might seem easy to tell if you need an STD test or not. After all, if you had an STD, you would be able to tell, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that simple. Symptoms of STDs are often mild enough for the affected individual to overlook entirely. Others may have contracted an STD despite experiencing no signs or symptoms whatsoever. Even if you seem to be in perfect health, the only way to know for sure if you have a sexually transmitted disease is through STD testing.

If you’ve had unprotected sex, have had a new or multiple sexual partner/partners, or have any other reason to suspect you may have contracted an STD, contact Visonary Women’s Health in the Baltimore MD area. We offer discreet and affordable STD testing for conditions such as HIV, HPV, syphilis, herpes, trichomoniasis, chlamydia, and more.

Is STD Testing Expensive?

At Visionary Women’s Health in the Baltimore MD area, we offer completely confidential STD testing that is covered by many insurance plans. Depending on your insurance coverage, your STD testing could cost you very little out of pocket – or even nothing at all.

Not only is STD testing inexpensive, so is most STD treatment. Conditions like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and many other common STDs don’t require expensive or complicated treatment plans – often all it takes to cure an STD is a simple regimen of antibiotics.