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This article is presented by Biron to demystify STBBI screening.
It’s getting hot in here! You and your date have spent the evening making out all over the place, and it looks as though you’re going to get lucky.
Before going any further, they ask you when you last got tested (excellent question, by the way), and you tell them that it’s been over a year. Except that you don’t really know what to say after that.
A year isn’t that long… but it’s not exactly recent either.
You ask yourself: why should we get tested before getting laid?
Don’t worry, you’re not the only one wondering.
If DépistaFest has taught us one thing, it’s that we still have a lot to learn about the screening of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs). That’s what happens when sex education in schools sticks to tampons, condoms, and bananas.
Without further ado, we explain what screening is for and why STBBIs affect everyone. Like, really, everyone.
What’s it for?
In the fabulous world of music, while you may be the best guitarist in the world, if your instrument is out of tune, your concerto may be less pleasant to listen to, both for yourself and for others. Like an off-key guitar at a concert, an STBBI at a sexual encounter can kill the fun.
Getting tested allows you to know if your crotch is tuned or if you need to follow a treatment plan to safely play your… bedroom music (okay, so the musician metaphor didn’t quite work all the way).
In short, thanks to different tests (urine and blood tests), screening allows you to get your fluids analysed to find out if you have contracted an STBBI.
If there was a billboard of the best ways to know if you have an STBBI, getting tested would certainly be at the top.
“OK, but I don’t think I need it”
You say that you practice safe sex and that, since you feel fine, you’ve got nothing to worry about? Stop right now, thank you very much 🖐. Everybody needs a screening touch 🎶.
Here are six reasons why everyone who is sexually active should get tested regularly.
1. Just because you’re not itchy doesn’t mean you’re STBBI free
Some STBBIs like to play in stealth mode: you can contract them and not show any symptoms for weeks, months, or ever. Things can then get dicey, because you can transmit an STBBI even when you don’t feel like anything’s off.
2. When it’s detected in time, everyone is happy
I’m not telling you anything you haven’t heard before: STBBIs can have serious health repercussions, but only if they are left untreated. Usually, when they’re treated in time, health issues are minimal or avoided entirely.
3. Even the best protection isn’t 100% effective
Despite their high levels of efficacy, barrier protection methods such as condoms and dental dams (latex squares) are not foolproof. Improper use, expiry dates, damage, or any defect can make them less effective.
4. STBBIs aren’t one hit wonders
Unlike lightning, STBBIs can strike in the same place more than once. Indeed, like a summer song by DJ Khaled, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and other types of infections can unfortunately affect your wellbeing more than once in your life. #AnotherOne
5. Like a big hug to the whole community
Beyond taking care of your own junk, screening also allows you to take care of that of your partners (and that of their partners, and so on). Going in for a check-up one to four times a year not only helps you to make sure everything’s okay and get treated if necessary, but also to reduce the risk of epidemics. Needless to say, we’ve had our fill of epidemics…
6. No one is immune
Clever little buggers, STBBIs don’t discriminate. They like to stick to crotches of all shapes, colours, smells, and degrees of hairiness.
In the end, all reasons are good reasons to go get tested. The icing on the cake? Getting tested only takes a few minutes and you get your results fairly quickly.
Speaking of which, did you know that you can get your test results for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV within 24 hours with Biron? This Quebec company offers a wide range of STBBI-related services.
For any questions or to make an appointment with Biron, go online or call 1-833-590-2713.
