Private MD News

STD testing needs are different for everyone

Category: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Given the persistently rising rates of sexually transmitted disease, experts say that regular STD testing is a crucial part of any overall health regimen. However, the diseases that individuals should be tested for depend largely on their own gender and lifestyle factors.

Experts often say that individuals should educate themselves on the specific disease that they are most at risk for. This may help them to make a more informed decision about which STD testing is best for them.

For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that all sexually active adults should receive HIV testing every year. However, depending whether or not someone is in a high-risk demographic, they benefit from more frequent testing.

Similarly, Dr. Hunter Handsfield, a professor at the University of Washington, told the Huffington Post that women should consider Chlamydia testing, as this can cause serious damage to their reproductive system and male carriers often show no symptoms.

"That's the single STD that is most likely to be present in someone who doesn't show symptoms - and that can do a lot of damage,” he told the news source.