WHAT IF

… I THINK I HAVE AN STD?

Not all STDs can be cured, but many can be treated. The most important thing to remember is that more serious problems can develop if you don’t get treatment as soon as possible.

If you think you’ve been exposed to an STD or are having symptoms of an STD, you should:

• See a healthcare provider ASAP. You should never try to diagnose or treat yourself! Be honest about your sexual activity with your healthcare provider — they will know what STD(s) you should be tested for. Don’t have a healthcare provider? Find a Spokane provider here.
• Follow all treatment recommendations your healthcare provider makes.
• At a minimum, don’t have any sex until your healthcare provider has been able to talk to you about your results. This way, if you have an STD, you won’t pass it to someone else. (You may need to avoid sex longer. Some medications take a while to work, and you may need to wait until after you take your last dose before having sex or until your partner has been treated.)

… MY PARTNER HAS AN STD?

Being told that you may have been exposed to an STD can often be hard to accept. By sharing this information with you, though, your partner is showing that they respect  you and care about your health. Try not to get defensive or upset, especially with yourself. Use this as an opportunity to open lines of communication even further with your partner and your medical provider.

If your partner has been diagnosed with an STD, you should:

1. Stop having sex of any kind with this partner immediately.
2. See a healthcare provider ASAP to find out if the STD passed to you.
3. If the STD was passed to you, your healthcare provider will give you a prescription or the medicine you need. Take all of the medicine as prescribed and be sure to contact your healthcare provider if you have a bad reaction after taking it. Make sure your partner also gets and takes their medicine.
4.  If medication is appropriate/required, you and your partner should not have any sex of any kind for at least 7-10 days after both of you have taken your final doses.For example: if your partner finishes medicine on Monday and you finish your medicine on Thursday, you must wait 7-10 days after you took your medicine (so 7 days from Thursday) before you should be sexually active with your partner again. Otherwise, you could get the STD again! If your partner has an STD that causes skin sores, blisters or warts, remember that they can come back repeatedly in the future (often 4-6 times per year). Although the infection can be spread even when they aren’t present, it is especially important not to have sex of any kind when the lesions or warts are present.