What are STDs?
STDs are sexually transmitted diseases, which primarily but not exclusively, are spread by sexual activities. If you are sexually active, you are at the risk of catching an STD. These are incredibly common and no matter if you are old or young, male or female, gay or straight, you are equally at risk if you are performing sexual activities with your partner. According to an estimate, more than 25% of all Americans are suffering from non-treatable sexually transmitted diseases. More than 20 million cases of STDs are reported in the U.S each year and more than 50% of them are people aged 15-25.
Just like any other serious disease, STDs require timely testing and treatment. If not cured at the right time, STDs like HIV can claim the patient’s life. So, it is immensely important to take necessary care while having sexual activities with your partner and get tested frequently to nip the evil in the bud.
What are the most common STDs?
The most common STDs are
- HIV
- Genital herpes
- Genital warts
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Trichomoniasis
- Syphilis
- and some types of hepatitis
How do you come at the risk of getting STDs?
Vaginal, oral, or anal sex can give you STDs. Moreover, you can also get infected with trichomoniasis if you come in contact with moist or damp objects like wet clothes, towels, toilet seats, etc. You can also get STDs if
- You have sexual intercourse with multiple partners
- You participate in sexual relationships with someone who has had several sex partners
- You don’t apply a condom when having sexual intercourse
- You are in the sex trading business
- You share needles while injecting drugs or medications in veins
Testing for STDs
If you are one of those individuals listed above, then you must get tested for STDs regularly. Since STD testing isn’t typically a component of preventive medical care, individuals for the most part need to request an STD test if they need one. Contingent upon who you are this can feel humiliating. Moreover, most physicians are not generally mindful of STD test alternatives or how to arrange one for you. They may likewise feel embarrassed discussing sex and its risks with their patients. Likewise, many individuals are stressed over their physician knowing the things about their sexual life. That can make them hesitant to search out testing through the typical channels, regardless of whether testing in a specialist’s office is covered by their insurance.
At-home STD Testing
So, what is the solution to this dilemma? If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your doctor about your sexual issues and don’t want to visit a lab to get tested for STDs, at-home STD testing kits are the way to go. Although not all at-home STD testing kits produce the same results, the best kits give you exact results as you would get from a doctor’s office. Rather than visiting the lab and giving them your blood or urine samples, all you need to do is to go online and order a quality at-home STD testing kit and conduct your test yourself. Some STD testing kits also allow you to collect the sample and then send it to a lab to get tested. So, you have a diverse choice and choose which option best suits you.
Cost of at-home STD testing kits
The actual cost of at-home STD testing kits depends on the type of STD you want to be tested for and the company from where you are ordering your kits. The cost of a basic STD testing kit starts from $25 and goes all the way up to $450. So, you should first identify which type of STD you want yourself to be tested for and then do thorough research about various companies providing those kits and compare their prices.
Benefits of at-home STD testing
- Discussing your sexual history with a doctor might be uncomfortable for you and at-home STD testing gives you a safe escape from that.
- Visiting the lab and giving samples for STD testing is itself an embarrassing procedure for some, you don’t have to go through this in at-home STD testing.
- Physically visiting a doctor or lab may require you to wait in long queues and would be a waste of your time. You can get tested without such hassle with at-home testing.
- Whenever you are worried about any STD, you can test yourself without any waiting or professional help. This will give you peace of mind.
- The results of at-home STD testing kits are as accurate as you would get from a lab, so there’s nothing you are compromising while choosing at-home STD testing.
- While conventional testing is slow and you would have to wait for several days or even weeks to get your results, at-home testing can give you accurate results in 1-5 days, depending on the type of kits you’ve selected.
