While February is the month of love, it also serves as Condom Awareness Month, and there’s no better time to remind you to protect yourself and your partner from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) by using condoms. Using condoms every time you have sex not only protects you from STIs and unwanted pregnancies, it’s also a way to show your partner you care about their health and well-being.
Did You Know?
- There are approximately 20 million new STI cases each year in the US
- About half of STI infections occur among youth ages 15-24 years
Are you At Risk of an STI?
Anyone who is sexually active can have an STI or infection of the genital or urinary organs. Certain factors can put you at higher risk for STIs and genitourinary disease. If you have a new sexual partner, multiple sexual partners, are under the age of 25, or practice unprotected sex, then you are at higher risk for STIs and HIV infection.
How Can You Stay Safe?
Practice safe sex and get tested for STIs as needed – or at the very least on an annual basis – to ensure that you and your partner are protected. BioReference offers simple STI testing that can be performed on a urine sample, providing quick and easy diagnosis. Proper diagnosis and treatment of STIs are key in preventing transmission to your sexual partner.
Remember that “Yes Means Test” so if you’re unsure of you or your partner’s sexual health status, you should get tested before taking the risk. Speak with your physician to confirm if testing is right for you. Click here for more information about Sexual Health testing services.
If you are a physician, click here to become a client so you can begin ordering Sexual Heart profiles and other diagnostic tests from BioReference today!
Source: American Sexual Health Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
