When you are sexually active, keeping yourself safe is a very big issue. With a range of sexually transmitted diseases that can be passed on during intercourse, it is highly important to ensure that you look after your sexual health. Since accidents sometimes do happen, whether it be unprotected sex that you didn’t foresee, or your form of protection has in some way failed you, you cannot always be completely sure that you are not at risk. By taking an STD panel you can eliminate any worries, and identify anything that you may have picked up as quickly as possible for easy treatment.

Attention All Virgins!

It is not only intercourse that can give you sexually transmitted diseases, however. Chlamydia, for example can be passed between people during unprotected oral sex, and HIV through sharing needles. A confidential STD panel can alert you to anything that you may have, and you will be advised from that point on how to treat what you have contracted.

The Silent Disease

Chlamydia is a big worry amongst many people, since it can often go undetected and can cause infertility in women. This is also an issue for men who want to have children, since it means that if they pass on Chlamydia, they may not be able to conceive with their significant other if she has become infertile. With no symptoms in the majority of people with the disease, the best way to ensure that you do not have it is to undergo an STD panel. This simple test means that you can not only be sure that you are clear of Chlamydia, but also any other STDs that you may have contracted.

Covering All the Bases

An STD panel checks for a wide range of STDs, some of which can be highly uncomfortable or even deadly. After you have been checked, you can be sure that you are in the clear for herpes, HIV, syphilis, Chlamydia, hepatitis B and C and gonorrhoea. Sometimes, during long-term relationships, people may decide not to use protection, perhaps because they are trying to conceive or because they want to rely on alternative forms of birth control that do not protect against STDs. In these cases it is always advised that both parties are tested beforehand to ensure that they are not passing diseases between each other, or to other people in the future.

You Don’t Have To Be Straight To Be At Risk

STDs are no less of an issue when it comes to gay or lesbian couples. Although the risk of infertility is less of a problem, you can never be sure what your partner may be carrying and you may become infected with something that is hard to treat or possibly even life-threatening. Although protection can still be used in same sex relationships, if you are looking to stop using it in the future, or have had an encounter where an accident has occurred, it is advisable that both parties get themselves checked out as soon as possible.

Confidentiality Assured

Since accidents cannot be foreseen there is no shame in having an STD panel and you can be sure that everything will be kept confidential. So, by taking your sexual health into your own hands, you can ensure the safety of yourself and your partner.