How Family Planning Can Benefit You When the Time Is Right
Family planning is just as much about when not to have a baby as it is to work toward conception. Preventing unwanted pregnancies now can improve your options for the future.
How Long Can I Have an STD Without Knowing It?
If you’re sexually active, you’re at risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), also known as sexually transmitted infections (STIs). And, while some STDs let you know they’re there with telltale symptoms, they can be asymptomatic, as well.
That means that without regular STD testing, you could carry an asymptomatic infection for years and unknowingly transmit it to others.
At Eve Medical of Miami in Miami, Florida, our team provides STD testing and other wellness services. If you haven’t been tested recently, it’s worth taking time to make sure you’re not carrying, and potentially transmitting, an asymptomatic STI.
STDs and symptoms
There are more than a hundred STIs in circulation, and unprotected sex exposes you. Sometimes, you develop symptoms that let you know that you have an issue — unusual vaginal discharge or bumps appearing on your genitals are a definite sign that you should get screened for STDs. Once you’re diagnosed, most STDs are very treatable.
The real problem occurs when you don’t show symptoms after contracting an STD. You very likely don’t even know that you have an issue. Asymptomatic STDs can linger in your body for many years, even decades, remaining an infection risk for your sexual partner or partners for all that time.
STIs without symptoms are more common than you probably realize. For example, cases of chlamydia, the most common treatable STD, are asymptomatic in 75% of women and 50% of men. Herpes symptoms come and go, but the condition remains transmissible whether or not you’re experiencing a flare-up.
An unknown STD could affect your fertility or cause other problems with your health. Even if you don’t have symptoms, you need to be on your guard against STDs if you’re sexually active.
Protecting yourself against STDs
STD risks are very real, so if you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex, practice safe sex. That includes:
- Using condoms, dental dams, and barrier methods to prevent STI transmission
- Getting tested before starting a new sexual relationship
- Making sure that your partner(s) get tested before beginning a new sexual relationship
You may want to plan on getting tested regularly as part of your commitment to your sexual health and sexual ethics.
You can’t rely on luck to protect you from STDs. And you could cause harm to yourself or others by unknowingly carrying an asymptomatic STD for weeks, months, or years. It’s worth making the responsible choice and getting easy, confidential STD testing at Eve Medica of Miami.
Your STD test doesn’t take long to complete, and the results stay between you and your provider. We help you understand your results and can recommend the next steps you should take if an STD test comes back positive.
With our support, you can protect yourself and others from sexually transmitted infections. For STD testing services, reach out to the Eve Medical of Miami team. You can book an appointment online today.
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