Despite many educational efforts over the decades, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are still making their rounds in large numbers. In 2024, there were more than 2.2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported in the United States, and that number doesn’t even account for the many cases that go unreported.
As April is STI Awareness Month, our team of board-certified primary care providers at CareOne Internal Medicine and Primary Care, including specialists in both men’s health and women’s health, would like to review some best practices for screening.
You might notice the name change from sexually transmitted disease to sexually transmitted infection, and there’s a very good reason for this.
The reality is that you can carry a sexually transmitted infection that’s asymptomatic, so there’s no disease. However, this doesn't mean you’re in the safe zone, as you can pass the infection on to others.
Now, let’s discuss who should be tested. The answer isn’t black-and-white. To make this easier to follow, we’ll get into STI screening by group.
The primary symptoms of an STI include:
Whether male or female, if you’re experiencing any of the above, please come in for testing.
The STI screening recommendations for women are much more stringent than for men, largely because of fertility issues. Untreated STIs can lead to infertility.
As a result, this means:
Your sexual activity matters, and we urge you to be honest with us about it so we can come up with the best screening schedule for your needs.
All pregnant women should test for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
If you’re gay or bisexual, we recommend testing annually for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. If you don’t know the sexual history of your partners or you engage in unprotected sex, we might recommend more frequent screening.
This group is a gray area for screening, but we believe that common sense should prevail. If you have multiple partners or you engage in unprotected sex, it’s a good idea to add STI screening to your proactive health care. We can help you determine a good schedule based on your activity.
If you’d like a personalized STI screening plan tailored to your health and lifestyle, contact us at one of our CareOne Internal Medicine and Primary Care locations in Houston or Katy, Texas.
