{"id":1007,"date":"2019-05-30T18:39:06","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T18:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/?p=1007"},"modified":"2019-03-12T18:40:23","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T18:40:23","slug":"std-questions-to-review-at-your-next-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/?p=1007","title":{"rendered":"STD Questions To Review at Your Next Appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gynogabcom.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/c4310-85521fdaf75a09e3d24acd9dcd63d32e.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p> Most people think they know the gist of STD testing: After you are sexually active, you show up and get tested, right? However, it\u2019s a bit more complex to know if you have been tested at the right time and for the right disease. So, here are a few tips for you to guide your discussion with your gyno regarding STD testing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\nHave I been exposed?\n<\/li><li>\nWhat is the incubation time of what I was exposed to?\n<\/li><li>\nHow accurate is the test I am taking?\n<\/li><li>\nAm I immune?\n<\/li><li>\nShould I take a post-coital prevention?\n<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These are questions that many patients aren\u2019t even aware need to be answered. So, why do they need to be asked in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\nI had sex without a condom. Just how likely is it that I have been exposed? This may seem like a simple question, but exposed to what? Just an STD? Unfortunately, things aren\u2019t that simple, since there are many STDs that one can be exposed to, such as HPV, Herpes, HIV, Syphilis, Chlamydia (CT), and Gonorrhea (GC).\n<ul><li>\n80% of sexually active people have an HPV infection at some point in their lifetime, so yes, you most likely have been exposed.\n<\/li><li>\nHSV infection is even more common, and 90% of people with genital herpes don\u2019t even know they have the infection!\n<\/li><li>\nHIV is more rare and in clusters in certain cities and populations, fortunately, much less likely to be exposed.\n<\/li><li>\nSyphilis rates are rising and it\u2019s very contagious. 30%-60% of those exposed to syphilis will contract the disease.\n<\/li><li>\n(CT) is also very common, 1 in every 20 sexually active women has CT.\n<\/li><li>\n(GC) you can get even if no ejaculation occurred. Around 20% of women exposed to the disease will contract it, however, this number rises to around 60%-80% after 4 or more exposures. So message here: condom consistency is critical!\n<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/li><li>\nHow soon can I test for anyHSV STD infection I may have been exposed to? Incubation time is the period between acquiring an infection and having the condition to become apparent. Know the STD incubation time so it can be determined when you might have contracted the disease, and plan your gyno visit accordingly.\n<ul><li>\nHPV\u2019s incubation time is from 2 weeks to 8 months, with the most common symptom of genital warts appearing at around 2-3 months, but abnormal pap smear incubation can be a lot longer.\n<\/li><li>\nHSV\u2019 incubation time is relatively quick, as symptoms begin to appear between 2-12 days after being infected. However, there are people who actually had the condition before, and first symptoms are actually not your first infection.\n<\/li><li>\nHIV&#8217;s incubation time varies with age, but the average period for adults is estimated to be around 10 years!\n<\/li><li>\nSyphilis\u2019 incubation time can range from 10-90 days, so get a check up, and then be vigilant, in a few months, check up on your check up.\n<\/li><li>\nCT&#8217; s from exposure to development of symptoms is typically around 1-3 weeks.\n<\/li><li>\nGC\u2019s incubation time is around 1-14 days.\n<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/li><li>\nHow accurate is STD testing? Very, but not perfect.\n<ul><li>\nThe newest for HPV , can identify 95%-100% of risk of advanced cervical disease, but they have eliminated HPV testing for the types that cause warts.\n<\/li><li>\nThe most accurate blood tests for HSV detect IgG antibodies, of which these tests prove to be close to 100% accurate. However, these tests cannot determine whether the site of infection is oral or genital, nor when you actually acquired the disease. Cultures are positive as soon as there is viral shedding, but that varies a lot!\n<\/li><li>\nThe test for HIV can be done via blood sample or oral swab and require a few week window period for an accurate result. The test accuracy is 99.68% for blood.\n<\/li><li>\nTesting for syphilis is a two-step identification and confirmation process on blood, but very accurate once completed. There is also a possibility of false positives with syphilis testing within the initial 90 days of exposure. There is also a possibility that those who have had syphilis in the past have lingering antibodies in their bloodstream, which can also produce false positives.\n<\/li><li>\nFor CT tests, the most common way to get a false negative would be to test too early after having unprotected sex. The most accurate tests are given after 2 weeks.\n<\/li><li>\nFor GC, it is similar to chlamydia, where inaccurate tests are given too early and it is best to show up at least a week 7 days in order to obtain the most accurate results. Don\u2019t dawdle too long, if either gonorrhea or chlamydia track up into your uterus, you can develop PID and risk permanent scaring.\n<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/li><li>\nI already had an STD, I figure I immune. Is this true? There is some truth to this, with some infections, but some are just too wily to give you immunity.\n<ul><li>\nThere is a vaccine for most types of serious HPV, and yes, if you have contracted one, you won\u2019t get that one again. But there are many types you probably haven\u2019t developed immunity to.\n<\/li><li>\nCurrently, there is no effective vaccine for all herpesviruses. For humans, there are 8 different herpes viruses and there is only an effective vaccine for one HSV cousin, (chickenpox). There is a possibility of there being some degree of immunity in some people, however, use protection and do not assume you and he share the same virus!\n<\/li><li>\nThe percent of people with this resistance to HIV is under 1%.\n<\/li><li>\nThere is no natural immunity to syphilis and past infections do not offer any protection to patients for future cases.\n<\/li><li>\nThere is no immunity to CT, you can get re-infected over and over!\n<\/li><li>\nSimilarly to chlamydia, there is no immunity with and just because you contract it once, doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t get it again, what\u2019s worse, the gonorrhea bacteria has proven to be resistant to antibiotics.\n<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/li><li>\nI am a planner. What if our condom breaks. Should I immediately go for treatment? In many cases, yes, but with so many conditions and so many treatment options available to you and it is important that you first discuss all options. Here are a few tips.\n<ul><li>\nGet vaccinated for before exposure not after HPV exposure, there is no treatment for the virus itself.\n<\/li><li>\nFor HSV , there is a specific antiviral therapy that can decrease the severity of initial genital herpes infection and recurrences once infected, but taking the medicine cannot prevent you from getting the infection.\n<\/li><li>\nThere is medication that can suppress the HIV virus and keep the immune system working to prevent illnesses. It is important for you to know your own status so that you can begin your treatment plan. It is also important for your sexual partners to be aware of your status.\n<\/li><li>\nThe best way to prevent syphilis (and most STDs) is to practice safe sex, but rapid post-coital treatment might work. Again: it is important for your partner(s) to also be tested and\/or treated.\n<\/li><li>\nThere is antibiotic treatment for both GC and CT once exposed, however, these infections can still be transmitted to a sexual partner during the antibiotic treatment, so it is important to abstain from having sexual intercourse until you have completed a 7-day course, or you will recontract the disease you just passed on!\n<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>So, we know these are not the only questions you have, so, do come in to discuss the rest! <a href=\"#\">WHP<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most people think they know the gist of STD testing: After you are sexually active, you show up and get<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,10],"tags":[120],"class_list":["post-1007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-body-physiology","category-guys-guide-to-gyno","tag-std"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1008,"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions\/1008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.womenshealthpractice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}