GYT09 - The First Time I Got Tested

[ndrthrdr1]

Have you been tested recently?

[dimefeet]

STD's are often passed by someone who has no idea that they have caught something. Get Yourself Tested!

[grannylala]

I have never experienced the fear or anxiety about std testing because I chose abstinence before marriage and fidelity after marriage. The person I married made the same choice. I am worry-free and std-free. Sexual freedom really isn't, is it?

[hinakuu]

people can get aids from their parents or through blood transfusions or other non-sexual methods and not know they're carrying the disease. While I do agree that you are safer, people seem to overlook the fact that stds can be transmitted nonsexually. Getting tested is a good thing whether you're in a monogamous relationship or not.

[grannylala]

You're right. Mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS is a problem. Especially in third world countries.  Other than that, nonsexual transmission of stds is rare. That's why they are called "sexually" transmitted diseases.

[debmcg7]

A disease is a disease HIV is transmitted through blood and body fluid. There are many more deadly diseases that are airborn. To put a judgement on a disease because you can obtain it through sexual contact is puts a stigma on it that is exactly why many people won't get tested.

I am a nurse, and I have been exposed to accidents with blood and body fluid. If I had HIV, it wouldn't be because of sexual contact, but would it matter? A disease is a disease.

[CDRSpike]

"To put a judgement on a disease because you can obtain it through sexual contact is puts a stigma on it that is exactly why many people won't get tested."

Well, sexual contact is by far the most common way to transmit the disease. It is unwise and dangerous to ignore that fact in order to be PC and avoid a 'stigma'

[debmcg7]

This attitude is EXACTLY the reason why people don't get tested. AND it is the reason why 25% of the population, that's right, 1 in 4 people have genital herpes. You know what is really scary? 90% of those people don't know it (or want to know it). Do you know why they don't want to know it? Because it is through sexual contact. So enough people put a STIGMA on it, and people are afraid to be tested for it. This is so stupid, because with treatment, passing it on can be less than 1.9%.

[xCHINESEHAPPYx]

Sexual freedom is for all & not just some. You chose to be abstinent & monogamous. That is great, but it isn't for everyone.

Sexual freedom is freedom because you can make your choices & be happy while others can have multiple partners & be happy too. Thats freedom.

A final thought: consider yourself lucky that your partner was abstinent and is now loyal. Because if they decide to cheat on you one day or lied about their past, you may end up with an infection you didn't expect. It happens.

[CDRSpike]

"Sexual freedom is freedom because you can make your choices & be happy while others can have multiple partners & be happy too. Thats freedom."

Perhaps, but that is also a choice with certain likely consequences. You can choose a slutty lifestyle, but then you don't really have a genuine cause to complain when bad things happen as a result.

BTW, there is a difference between freedom and anarchy. Your conception of 'freedom' just seems to better fit the meaning of 'anarchy'

[rockonskater]

you can get hpv from toilet seats

[grannylala]

False.

This is a myth. You cannot contract HPV by sitting on a toilet seat after an infected person.

Sexually transmitted viruses such as HPV simply cannot survive outside of the body long enough to be transmitted this way.

HPV can be transmitted through vaginal, anal intercourse, oral sex touching your infected partner's genitals and then your own, genital-to-genital contact

Source: Centers for Disease and Prevention. "Sexually Transmitted Disease Guidelines 2006." Sep 2006.

[mentaluproar]

no, the person you married just lied to you about it to shut you up.

[grannylala]

Nope.  The person I married is a man of great integrity. And because of that, I am not in a mental uproar, as you appear to be.

[mentaluproar]

I see what you did there.

[educationforu]

My first test was at 17. My family had just moved from an urban environment to a rural/conservative one. I had been in my first monogamous sexual relationship for two years, but had recently started having intercourse with someone else. When I visited my doctor, she told me that young women rarely ask to be tested. She then told me that I wasn't at risk, but I insisted. The nurse that came to draw my blood told me that I was very brave. I was tested about three more times until I was married.

[AllisonDelong]

I can't even remember my first test because I've been getting tested for as long as I can remember. But I do remember making my husband get tested when we started dating before I would even have protected sex with him. We still used condoms for a long time until well into our relationship. One of the most important reasons I support Planned Parenthood is because they support education for our teens and young people and teach them how to take care of their own health. It's best to know!

[yokeltania]

What a good idea. I remember the first time I got tested. I was just out of college and had been dating one young woman for some time. We'd broken up a year before, but I knew some STDs take a long time to incubate in a human host and I had a woman I was interested in, but I wanted to be safe. So I went to the clinic in Portland, Oregon. I discovered a lot about myself that day, most importantly that I was willing to take the steps to commit to another.

[MiAmorPapiChulo1]

I think it's a great idea to know your std status. Your health is very important. I was 21 when i got tested for everything. I was clean every year except in 2005 when i tested positive for Chlamydia. I never found out who gave it to me that hurt me a lot. Now I'm 26 living with HPV for the past 2 years. I get tested every year to make sure i don't get anything else. I take my health seriously now. I think everyone should get tested cause you don't want to get something you can't get rid of.

[farvision]

MiAmorPapiChulo1, testing don't prevent you from getting something you can't get rid of!!!! Testing will allow you to get cured in some cases (chlamydia) but not others (HPV!) - but it allows you to tell your partners so they can decide whether to expose themselves. To avoid the incurable ones you have to chose a disease free partner, not have sex or use a condom.

[educationforu]

The previous poster made no such claim. The point of being tested is to know what is happening with your body. If you discover that you have an std, you and your partner then have choices to make. This includes safe interaction. Testing also has a lot to do with prevention.

[sally7781]

Great idea!

[sophiegromit]

Men need to get tested too, but there seems to be a stigma when guys go to 'Planned Parenthood'. PP needs to market their services to men too!

[ManteliA]

The first time I got tested I was 17 and entering, essentially, my first real relationship. She was a few years older than I was, and told me she wanted me to get tested before we really did anything, even though I told her I hadn't done anything. Since then I have gotten tested every 6 months (I'm turning 22 soon). She was really a very healthy introduction to relationships.

[kcmunchkin19]

The first time I got tested, I was 18 and had just started college. I tested positive for Chlamydia. Turns out my new college boyfriend gave to me--he didn't have any symptoms and I was on the pill so we didn't worry about condoms. We both got treated and I learned my lesson. I used a condom every time I had sex until I met the man who would become my husband, and then we both got tested for STDs and HIV before we started having sex.

[theatrepeter]

Getting tested is so important. Even if you have a positive test result there are still things you can to do to treat (or even cure) the infection and reduce the risk of transmitting something to a partner.

[frooms21]

I really appreciate you putting someone in there who had a positive test. I think it's very important to show both sides of the coin. This is a great idea!

[jroutax]

This is great! It is so important for everyone to get tested. I remember the first time I got tested- I was 17. I'm 22 now and I just got tested again. I get tested every 6 months or each time I get a new partner. It's so great to know that i'm HIV and STD free! You should get tested too, so you don't have to wonder if you're giving the gift that keeps on giving the next time you have sex!