“I went to the doctor thinking I had a urinary tract infection, but it was chlamydia. I got diagnosed and took my medicine just like I was supposed to, but now my UTI-like symptoms are fully back. Could it be the same STI as before?“

Your doctor will be able to tell you for sure, but it’s possible that your STI is back (or that it never fully went away). You should abstain from sexual activity for 7 days once you’ve started treatment. It’s also possible that it wasn’t passed back to you, but rather that your treatment didn’t work (sometimes certain
antibiotics work better for some than others).

You and your partner should get tested again as soon as you can if you start having symptoms. If one or
both of you have chlamydia, be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations and abstain from sex (oral, anal, and vaginal sex) for the full 7 days.

The post Is my STI back? appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

“Hello, is this Ms._______?” I thought it was a call about my new job, but who knew this would turn my world upside down.

“Yes it is, how may I help you?” I responded. She said, “Well, I need you to come to the health department.“ My heart left my body. I started hyperventilating. I almost passed out until she told me, “Baby, breathe. It’s curable and don’t worry. It’s not the end of your life.” So, I immediately called the only one that it could’ve been from – my boyfriend. I went through every word that was foul and cried my eyes out. He called himself “sad.” But at that moment, he was dead to me.

I tried to come with a lie for why I had to leave. But due to my hysterical nature, I couldn’t even do it. I just
had to be straight forward with my mama. She told me, “Well, it can be cured. Praise God for that. He was messing with those nasty girls.” That made it hurt even worse. Knowing I had been lied to, cheated on, and then I have an STI.

I never got dressed so fast in my life. My boyfriend met me at the clinic. I’m scared and shaking. It all seemed so surreal. I never thought I’d get an STI. I’m trying to keep myself from having a breakdown in the office.  The minutes felt like hours. Then they finally called my name back. The nurse showed me my results and said, “You’ve tested positive for chlamydia. All you need is these four pills I’m going to get and you’re going to be okay. Calm down.” When she left the room, I thought of all the things I was going to do to my boyfriend. But I had an epiphany – I can’t fully blame him. That one time without a condom. I could’ve easily stopped it and made him put on a condom, but I didn’t.

She gave me the facts. It’ll take 3 days for the medicine to take its course. No sex with your partner or anyone else for 2 weeks. Honestly, I didn’t want to think about sex. I was more hurt by my boyfriend than I was the STI. You instilled so much trust and love into someone and they could do this to you. It’s a mental anguish. I’m just glad I was enough to handle the hurt.

It was the mental aftermath that made the situation worse. It’s not the end of the world, but it still hurts. I knew better than to not use a condom, but I thought I could trust my partner. I believed in him. My trust had been betrayed. But, it’s a process. You accept it and keep moving forward. You live and you learn. Everything will be okay. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.

The post #FNFRealTalkTeam: I had an STI. appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

Chlamydia. Hard to spell, easy to catch.

Use protection everytime!

The post Chlamydia appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

If you’re sexually active, you’d be smart to know how to reduce your risk of getting an STD or HIV, know the symptoms so you can tell if you have one, and to get tested every six months. Find a Health Center for free or low cost testing.

Nearly half of all new sexually transmitted diseases occur among young people ages 15-24. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can also increase the risk of HIV infection.

Chlamydia (cla-mid-ee-ah) can be transmitted from person to person without complete insertion of a penis into the vagina or butt. It can also be passed from mother to newborn during childbirth. Chlamydia infections are treatable and curable with antibiotics. Symptoms (for women, pain and itching of the vulva or vagina, for men pain or itching at the head of the penis) usually appear from one to three weeks after infection, and then go away, even if no medicine is taken. Many people infected with chlamydia never have any symptoms at all. For more on Chlamydia, click here.

Herpes and genital warts are caused by viruses and are spread by skin-to-skin contact. Herpes are sores that can appear around and on the mouth and genitals (penis and vulva); however, you don’t have to be having an outbreak to get infected. This means that just because your sex partner doesn’t have a sore on his penis or her vulva does not mean you can’t get herpes. There are drugs that you can get from your doctor or a local clinic that help control the outbreaks and make you less likely to infect someone else. For more on herpes, click here.

The same is true with human papilloma virus (HPV), the virus that causes genital warts. Actually, there are many different types of HPV, some that cause genital warts and some that cause other types of warts. Some strains of HPV that cause genital warts have been linked to cervical cancer. It is estimated that somewhere between 70 and 80% of sexually active adults have been exposed to the strains of HPV that cause genital warts. It is important that sexually active women get regular PAP smears to screen for cervical cancer. If you have not been sexually active, it’s a good idea to get the HPV vaccine to prevent the kind that is most likely to cause cancer. For more on HPV and warts, click here.

The post FNF Advice: Sexually Transmitted Diseases appeared first on Fact Not Fiction.

Chlamydia is the most commonly reported bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States. You can get infected with Chlamydia by having any form of sex (anal, vaginal or oral), and it can cause major, permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive organs.

Most significantly, 1 in 15 females aged 14-19 years has Chlamydia.

How do I know if I have it?

Also known as a “silent” infection, Chlamydia often shows no symptoms in infected people. In other cases, symptoms may not appear until several weeks after infection.

Women, who do have symptoms, may feel a burning feeling while urinating. They also may experience a discharge (mucus-like substance) from the vagina. Untreated infections can spread through the reproductive system and cause pelvic or abdominal pain.

Men may also experience a burning feeling while urinating or a discharge (mucus-like substance) from the penis. In some cases, men may experience pain or swelling in one or both testicles.

Can it be cured or treated?

Yes. Chlamydia can be easily treated and cured with antibiotics; however, it is important to not have sex until after antibiotic treatment is complete.

Wearing a male latex condom is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of Chlamydia infection. Of course, not having sex is the only way to be 100% sure you’re not infected. Remember, even if a partner does not have any symptoms, he or she can still have Chlamydia. Don’t assume. Get tested.

For more information about genital herpes and its symptoms, read the CDC post here: https://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/stdfact-chlamydia.htm

Need to get tested? Find a Mississippi health center near you: https://factnotfictionms.com/clinics.

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