First, I agree that you absolutely should be checked by a health care provider other than your childhood doctor. It is very important that you have a trusting , nonjudgmental relationship with your health care provider. You want a provider to whom you can disclose your sexual practices without a sense of embarrassment. Most larger colleges have health centers that are well equipped to handle the sexual health concerns of female students. If your college does not have a health center they would still have a health office that could suggest a local clinic or hospital affiliated clinic that would offer the services you are looking for. Family planning centers such as Planned Parenthood are also a good choice and will provide contraception and checkups at minimal or no cost.
Young sexually active women, who have partners of either or both sexes are at considerable risk for a number of sexually transmitted infections.
Among them, the most common STD is caused by a bacterium known as Chlamydia trachomatis. This is of particular concern for women. Half of the nearly 3million cases diagnosed yearly occur in women ages 15-25. The infection can be spread through vaginal, oral or anal sex and can occur in the throat, female organs, and rectum. Unfortunately the genital tract infections occur without any symptoms in 75% of women. (50% of men also have no symptoms and may not realize they are carrying this germ.)
If untreated, a vaginal infection with Chlamydia spreads to the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries and leads to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID within 1-3 weeks of exposure. The consequences of PID can be serious and lifelong including increased risk of ectopic pregnancy which is when a pregnancy occurs in the fallopian tubes rather than the uterus and can be a life threatening event. Also, problems with fertility occur in 1 in 5 women who have had PID, due to scarring of the fallopian tubes after the infection has healed. Chronic pelvic or bladder pain and pain with intercourse, may also occur due to scar tissue left in the pelvis, adherent to the reproductive organs, bladder, and bowel. For pregnant women, chlamydial infections can cause premature labor and serious infections in the infant acquired at birth.
Clearly, Chlamydia is a worrisome, asymptomatic infection of young sexually active women and therefore you should specifically ask your health care provider to check you for this during your routine exam and any other time you think you may have been exposed.
In those women who do have symptoms, the symptoms tend to be nonspecific such as unusual vaginal discharge, fever, abdominal or pelvic pain, pain with sex, spotting, abnormal or no periods, urinary frequency, loss of appetite, To make the diagnosis of a chlamydial infection a pelvic exam with a cervical swab, a urine specimen or other lab test is necessary. If you are found to have this infection and PID is suspected you might be asked to return 3 days after treatment is started to be sure you are responding. When being treated it is important to finish the entire course of treatment and sometimes a test of cure is performed 3 months later. Your partners must also be treated, as this is a highly contagious infection and can be passed back and forth until all sexual partners have been treated.
PID can be caused by other germs such as gonorrhea, staphylococcus, streptococcus or others. How to prevent exposure? Simple: use condoms all the time for oral, vaginal and anal sex. With your female partner use a dental dam.
It is important to have yearly check ups even when you are always using condoms and having safer sex. During a routine yearly pelvic exam you will be tested for cervical abnormalities due Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) with a Pap smear (Named after Dr. Papanicolou who first developed the test). We now know that cervical cancer is caused by certain strains of this virus. Even if you have had the HPV vaccine you still have a chance of getting HPV . Fortunately, early changes in the cells of the cervix can be detected by the Pap smear and treated before they become cancerous. While you are having the pelvic exam you should ask to be screened for warts and herpes lesions, which the healthcare provider will do by visual inspection of your genitals and the area around your anus.
It is always a good idea to have an HIV test if you are sexually active. Even though you may not think you are at risk for this disease, it can be passed from man to woman through blood and bodily fluids such as semen. There are free and anonymous HIV testing facilities in most cities and towns which you can find by looking on the internet under "STD clinic" or "HIV testing" For more information on STDs, HIV, Chlamydia or other sexual health questions you can also go to www.cdc.gov/std.
In many states, private information about your sexual health is kept confidential by law, regardless of your age. Occasionally bills or statements of services provided do get sent home to parents if they are the holders of the insurance policy. For this reason, a free STD clinic may afford you more privacy.
For information about support and testing in your area, call the CDC National STD & AIDS Hotlines
800-342-2437 or 800-227-8922=20
English Service (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
800-344-7432 - Spanish Service (8:00 AM - 2:00 AM, 7 days a week)
800-243-7889 - TTY Service (10:00 AM - 10:00 PM, Monday - Friday)
STD information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
