According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), undiagnosed sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) cause an estimated 24 thousand women to become infertile each year. Don’t become a statistic. If you’re sexually active, the team of expert women’s health care providers at FPA Women’s Health, with multiple locations throughout Los Angeles County and across several regions in California, offer comprehensive STI testing for women of all ages. STIs, also called sexually transmitted infections (STIs), can affect your reproductive health if you don’t receive prompt treatment. Click online or call the office to schedule an exam that includes STI testing.
If you’re sexually active, your gynecologist or nurse practitioner typically recommends STI testing. Even if you don’t have symptoms — which is common — you could still have a sexually transmitted infection. Getting tested for common STIs means you can get the treatment you need before the infection becomes a disease with irreversible consequences.
Additionally, if you’re at risk of infection because you’ve had unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners, don’t wait for your annual exam for STI testing. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can receive necessary medical treatment.
Depending on your age, symptoms, and risk factors, your provider at FPA Women’s Health may recommend any of the following STI testing:
It’s common for young women to get genital warts (HPV), chlamydia, and gonorrhea. While there’s no definitive test for HPV, a Pap smear can detect the type of abnormal cells that may lead to cervical cancer.
Symptoms vary depending on which STI you have, but common signs of infection include:
If you do experience STI symptoms, avoid having sex until you seek testing and treatment so you don’t spread the infection to others.
You can treat several common STIs with medications and antibiotics. If you test positive for chlamydia, syphilis, or gonorrhea, antibiotics usually relieve your symptoms and cure the infection. Other STIs, including genital herpes, genital warts, and hepatitis B and C, has no cure, but treatment can reduce symptoms.
Genital warts, or HPV, are the result of a virus. While there’s no treatment for the virus itself, you can treat the outbreak and reduce uncomfortable symptoms with:
If you suspect you have an STI, or even if you don’t, it’s important to get tested regularly. Your experienced provider at FPA Women’s Health can recommend how often you should get tested, and for which STIs, depending on your age, risk factors, and lifestyle.
Call the office to schedule an exam that includes STI testing, or request the next available appointment through the convenient online booking tool.
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