How do I get tested for STDs and where do I go to get tested?

There are many different tests for each of the different STDs. There is not one test that will screen for all STDs. Some STDs are hard to test for if you do not have any symptoms. Some STDs can be tested through simple blood work or a urine test; some can only be tested for through culturing body fluid from the penis, vagina or open sore on the body. If you go in for testing, it is important to ask your health care provider which tests will be done and which will not. Sometimes weeks or months need to pass to give your body enough time to develop antibodies that will show up in a test.

Your local health department, community or family planning clinic, private doctor are all good locations to check out for STD testing. However, not all these places provide adolescent-friendly services, so make sure you go to a place where they attend to adolescents in a non-judgmental manner.

What are the common symptoms of STDs?

STDs can cause physical symptoms like bumps or sores on the skin, itchy discharge, pain or burning during urination (peeing), fever, or symptoms like the flu. But all of these symptoms can be caused by other illnesses that are not sexually transmitted. Some STDs do not cause any symptoms at all. So, you can see how difficult it would be to diagnose a STD just based on symptoms you may be experiencing.

Can I get an STD from kissing?

This is possible but not very common. If your partner's mouth is infected with an STD, then he or she may be able to pass that infection to your mouth during a kiss. Fever blisters and cold sores can be passed through a kiss if your partner is infected, and blood-borne infections like HIV or Hepatitis B or C can only be passed through kissing if there is the exchange of infected blood. If your partner has an infection in his or her genital area, then kissing on the mouth will not transmit the infection.

My girlfriend prefers oral sex because she says it’s safe. Is this true?

Oral-genital sex may be risky unless a mechanical barrier such as a dental dam (for stimulating the female genitals with the tongue) or a condom (for mouth stimulation of the penis) is used. STD infections occur in the mouth as well as in the genitals and anus, and can be passed from mouth to genitals or from genitals to mouth.

The dental dam is a small square of latex that dentists use for isolating a tooth preparatory to working on it. It may be placed on the vulva for oral sex, as a barrier between tongue and genitals, while on the other hand, one can use non-lubricated condoms. These can be bought at pharmacies/chemists. The high-risk practice of oral-anal sex often results in transmission of intestinal parasites and other diseases, which undermine the health.

Can I have an STD and not know it?

Yes! Many STDs can take weeks, months or years before symptoms show. Some people never develop symptoms for some STDs. STDS can still be given to someone else even when a person is not experiencing symptoms.

How do I know if my partner is infected?

The simple answer is that you may not know your partner is infected unless he or she tells you. Remember, because some STDs don't show any symptoms, your partner may not even know if he or she is infected.

Can you get an STD from a public restroom?

This is not very likely. Most STDs are only transmitted during sexual contact, either by skin-to-skin contact or through body fluid exchange. Crabs, or pubic lice, may be transmitted through sexual contact, sleeping in infected bedding, sharing infected clothing and possibly through sitting on an infested toilet seat. However, lice cannot survive away from the human body for longer than 24 hours. So contracting pubic lice from a toilet seat is possible, but unlikely.

I need to know all about AIDS and how much it would cost to have an HIV test

AIDS is the acronym for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is a disease caused by a virus called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). For one to get AIDS, the virus has to get into your blood, through which it spreads to all parts of your body and damages your immune system, hence the name "immunodeficiency".

HIV is spread mainly through sexual intercourse, but you can also become infected HIV if you share syringes (injections), razor blades and other sharp objects with someone who has the virus. Sometimes, people contract HIV after receiving blood in hospitals (blood transfusion), especially if the blood was not screened for HIV before use. Some babies also get the virus from their mothers during childbirth and from breast milk during breastfeeding.

The virus kills the body’s T cells, which normally protect your body against infection with diseases. When your body’s T cells are killed, you do not yet have AIDS but you do have HIV. You don’t always know that you have it and you may still look fit and healthy even long after infection. But when you have sex or share sharp objects with others, you can pass the virus to them. They won’t know you have the virus, neither will you. And so the disease keeps spreading.

The virus can take a long time to kill all your T cells. Between five to ten years afterwards, one may start to get sick. The body can no longer protect itself and becomes highly susceptible to life-threatening infections. You may get very thin, have swollen glands, lung infections or get cancer. After some time, your body becomes so weak that you eventually die from an opportunistic infection.

The only way to be sure of your HIV status is to have an HIV test. You can visit any of the university teaching hospitals around you to do the test. The test will likely be cheaper at such hospitals.

To avoid contracting AIDS, abstain from sex. And if you must have sex, use a condom and stay with one partner. Also, don’t inject drugs into your body and make sure that any blood to be transfused into your body is screened. In addition, all sharp instruments you share with others must be sterilized after each use.

It is also important to note that one cannot get AIDS through hugging or touching, or from toilets, mosquito bites and other such actions that do not involve any exchange of body fluid. In order words, you can show love to people living with AIDS without fear of being infected with the disease.