When you are sexually active, you should get tested every six months to make sure you have not contracted any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
STDs are very common in the United States. About 1.2 million chlamydia cases and 350,000 gonorrhea cases are reported by the Centers for Disease Control each year, and the majority are among young people. Further, at least 70% of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives.
Many common STDs have no symptoms, so you can’t always tell if you have one or not! Three-quarters of women and half of men with Chlamydia infections don’t have any symptoms at all.
If you have an STD and don’t get treatment, you could pass it around to other people without realizing it. That’s why you need to get checked regularly. Thankfully getting an STD test is pretty easy. For more info on getting tested, check out Planned Parenthood’s quick facts page.
Have more questions about STD’s or how to Find a clinic? Check out links to our site for more info: