How an STD screening from your healthcare providers in Missoula, MT, can protect you
STDs, or sexually transmitted diseases, can make you very ill and cause long-lasting, permanent effects. Fortunately, STD testing can help your doctor determine the right course of treatment to get you back to good health.
The healthcare providers at The Birth Center in Missoula, MT, offer a wide range of women’s healthcare services, including STD screening to protect your health.
STD testing is a confidential procedure that can determine what type of STD you have, which is critical to establishing the right method of treatment.
You should have an STD screening if you:
- Are beginning a new relationship
- Practice unprotected sex
- Engage in sex with more than one partner
- Have had sex with an IV drug user
- Use IV drugs yourself
It's important to remember that you can have an STD and experience no signs or symptoms. That's why it's important to visit your healthcare provider for an STD screening if you have a relationship status change or practice high-risk behaviors.
You should also have an STD screening if you experience:
- Genital warts, sores, or lesions
- Itching or burning when you urinate
- Vaginal or penile discharge
There are several different types of STD screening. Your doctor may recommend:
- Blood testing; this testing is used to detect pelvic inflammatory disease, HIV/AIDS, herpes, hepatitis B, syphilis, and cytomegalovirus.
- Cellular testing; this testing is used to detect gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts, and scabies.
- Discharge testing; this testing is used to detect vaginosis, herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and pelvic inflammatory disease.
STD screening is quick, easy, and confidential. It can also help protect both you and your partner from disease. To learn more about the importance of an STD screening and how it can protect your health, call the healthcare providers of The Birth Center in Missoula, MT, at (406) 541-7115. Call today!