Be Sensible About STIs

Most of us know how important to use protection when we’re having sexual intercourse. The main thing that scares men in general is accidental pregnancy – nobody wants the responsibility of an unplanned baby! It can tie you to a woman for life, and although you can give your opinion, it’s ultimately down to the female whether the child is kept or not.

If you are with a long term partner, you may choose not to use condoms if you know she has another reliable means of contraception, such as the pill, the coil or the injection (to name a few). Many couples also choose to go to the GUM clinic to get checked out for STIs too, so that they can have condom free sex, safe in the knowledge that they are both clean.

However, people often forget about the importance of condoms to protect themselves from STIs. Just because she’s on the pill and not likely to get pregnant, it doesn’t mean that you’re safe and covered. If you catch an STI from having unprotected sex, you could remain symptomless and end up passing it on to others.

Using the information gathered recently, it is estimated that over 100,000 people currently have Chlamydia in the UK. That’s around 1 in 10 of us. Everyone thinks that it won’t happen to them, that it’s always a friend of a friend. But how likely would a colleague or a family member be to admit that they are suffering from an STI? It’s not something you bring up over a pint, so a lot more people have it than you realise.

Chlamydia is a particularly dangerous infection because it often has no symptoms – it is sometimes referred to as the ‘silent STI’. If it goes undetected and untreated, it can lead to painful swelling in the testicles and joint inflammation. If you do get symptoms early on, these can include discharge and irritation of the penis. When passed on to a woman, it can lead to inflammatory disease and fertility problems.

If you’re too embarrassed to go to the GUM clinic (which you shouldn’t be – every responsible adult should go), you can now buy home testing kits for Chlamydia which are sent away in the post to get your results. If the test s positive, it can usually be treated with a simple course of antibiotics.

Our Chelsea Escorts take their sexual health very seriously and get regular check-ups at their local GUM clinic. It’s free and you don’t need an appointment, so what are you waiting for?!