Sexually transmitted infections

Infections that travel from one person to another by having sex are called “Sexually Transmitted Infections” or “STI’s”.  Most people who are having sex will get one of these infections at sometime in their lives.  If you get an STI, it may be that you don’t even feel ill or you may not notice something is wrong at all but it can go on to cause really serious illnesses in later life.  The good news is that almost all STI’s can be cured very easily.   So if you think that you may have got one of these infections you should try and get medical help as soon as you can.

You could go and talk to your doctor, the Nurse for Children who are looked after or to a School Nurse.  Or there are clinics that you can go to that are especially for STIs and they can talk to you, give you an examination or treatment if that is needed.  These are called “special clinics” or “Sexual Health Clinics” or “G.U.M Clinics” (this stands for “Genito Urinary Medicine”).

If you go to a G.U.M Clinic you will be treated without anyone being told that you have attended the clinic, and your notes will remain confidential. This will be the case, in most cases, even if you are under 16.  You will be treated easily and quickly and even if it turns out that you have not got an STI, no one will think that you have wasted his or her time.  The Health Advisors there talk to anyone who is worried about having sex or who wants information about STIs and safe sex.

Local G.U.M. Clinics are not open all the time so it is worth phoning to find out when they are open.  You could ask to speak to the Health Advisor if there was anything that you wanted to know before going there.

One of the most common STI now is Chlamydia, you can have a simple urine (pee) test for this.  If the test comes back positive you will have to take a course of antibiotics.  Most people who are having sex without using condoms can get an STI.