The Importance of HIV and STD Testing

Posted by AngeloEverton on September 12th, 2012

 STD testing plays a vital role in the detection and treatment of HIV, which is the virus that is responsible for causing AIDS. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not understand or realize the importance of HIV testing. Timely testing and a good understanding of the relationship between Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and HIV infection prove to be helpful for developing effective HIV prevention programs. This holds particularly true in case of individuals displaying high-risk sexual behaviors. A person who is infected with sexually transmitted diseases are five times more likely to acquire HIV infection.

Majority of people shy away from conducting STD testing because these tests are quite embarrassing and they can be inconvenient and painful too. However, it is important to go past the embarrassment factor because the first concern should always be one’s own well-being. Doctors recommend HIV testing to people because sexually transmitted diseases tend to be quite fatal at times when left undiagnosed or untreated. People generally think that since they are not exhibiting any deadly symptoms therefore they are safe, but the truth is that one can carry an infection without showing any symptoms.

The main objective of STD testing is to identify the symptoms of the same in the patient. One of the most common STDs in the United States is Chlamydia. In case of men, the urethra gets infected accompanied by production of white discharge which makes urination extremely painful. In case of women, the infection can move up into the genital tract. The most effective way of treating Chlamydia is through antibiotics, but this can be done only after one has undergone an HIV testing to detect the same. It shouldn’t be left untreated because it can destroy the reproductive processes within the patient’s body.

HIV testing or STD testing is also done for the purpose of detecting gonorrhea, which is the second-most common STD. In case of men, this disease is marked by frequent and excruciating urination followed by yellowish discharge. Women affected by gonorrhea experience discomfort in their lower abdomen and genital area. They also have unusual bleeding. Herpes is another common STD that one should test for. This is the worst one because it is permanent and incurable. Nevertheless, it is important to detect it so that one can treat it temporarily using medications.

Undergoing STD testing and HIV testing is not only important and beneficial for a person but the benefits are also passed on to his/her partner or spouse. This is because one can get it treated after diagnosis so that the disease won’t be transferred to the person’s spouse or partner through sexual activity. At times it is important to do this because an individual can make a claim through a lawyer in case his/her partner had infected him/her intentionally. Hence it is best to know where one’s sexual health stands so that one won’t land in legal soup or emotional drama.

Getting a full panel HIV testing is easier than one could have imagined these days thanks to the abundance of centers that offer such tests. To put it in simple words, it is necessary that one should go for STD testing in order to have a good health and relationships in the future. Sexually transmitted diseases are notorious lingerers, which can stay in your body until they have destroyed it completely. By the time you realize this, you will become extremely sick and there are also chances of passing on the same to others. That is why such testing should be a part of general health care plans of all individuals.

The importance of STD testing can be realized from the fact that such medical conditions can assume life threatening proportions if ignored. An aspect of this is HIV testing which is extremely important courtesy of its contagious nature.