September is Sexual Health Awareness Month
September is Sexual Health Awareness month, and if you are sexually active, then this is the perfect time to have annual STD testing performed so that you keep up with the current status of your sexual health. Especially if you consider the following statistics:
- 50% of sexually active people will contract an STD in their lifetime.
- There are 20 million new cases of STD infections each year in the U.S., but only half of that number are aware of it.
- Over one million people are infected with an STD every day.
- 110 million men and women are infected with an STD.
STDs are common, but people may not know they have an STD because many don’t have symptoms. However, left undetected and untreated, STDs can cause serious health consequences, including infertility. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all people between the ages of 13 and 64 should be tested at least once for HIV.
Anyone who is sexually active should consider testing for all STDs including chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, herpes 1 and 2, trichomoniasis and HIV.
At CareWell, STD testing is confidential and can be free or low-cost depending on your financial situation. Common STDs, such as chlamydia or gonorrhea, are usually easily treated with antibiotics.