During my third year at university, I had an exclusive partner so our condom precautions were limited. When I became single again the summer before my fourth year, I had a hard time adjusting. Most of the sexual encounters I had were after a night out and I was quite drunk because I found the transition to being single difficult.
I wasn’t in a good place emotionally, I was much less careful and conscientious than I was when I was single before. I felt like I had to have a drink to be able to feel comfortable having sex with someone new, so my inhibitions came down.
Although I used a condom with most of the people I had sex with, there were a few exceptions when a condom was not used. For example, with a person I had known for a long time and felt I could trust. It wasn’t until the morning I realized we hadn’t used protection that I felt anxious and exposed. I look back now and think how lucky I was that I didn’t catch something that didn’t heal or that I didn’t get pregnant.
I had no idea I had chlamydia.
I just met my current boyfriend and when we became official in April 2022, I decided to get tested. I had figured that there was a distinct possibility that I might have stuck something before I started dating him and therefore give it to him as well.
I decided it would be wise to get tested for all STDs even though I had no symptoms at all.
I ordered a test kit to come in the post and sent it back almost immediately. I have ordered some test kits in the post – very quick and easy.
After about five days, I received a text telling me to call the clinic to discuss my results. It was then that I knew this meant something was wrong, as I had repeatedly taken exams through this same postal service during my time at university.
With the support of my roommates I called the clinic and they confirmed that I had tested positive for chlamydia.
At this point the first thing I did was call my boyfriend and tell him I had tested positive for chlamydia so he needed to get tested right away. I was very upset with myself and felt very panicked, which made it very difficult to comfort me. I was more annoyed with myself because I knew he was very careful in the past with everyone he was with and I was 99% sure I was the one who gave it to him.
However, my friend was great. He reassured me that there was nothing to worry about, that it could have been worse and yet we knew he was the one who brought it to me.
After he also tested positive, we arranged to get our antibiotics together from the local sexual health clinic.
The people at the clinic couldn’t have been more supportive and I felt absolutely zero crisis which I was panicking about.
The course was for one week, but you are advised not to have sexual activity until two weeks after taking your first antibiotic and to wait six weeks until you take your first antibiotic to be retested to make sure the infection has cleared up. When I got retested, the results came back after three days to tell me I was completely STD free.
Although this experience was traumatic, I learned to put my health first. I put off getting tested for far too long because I felt ashamed at the thought of having an STD, which I now feel so ridiculous about because it was so easily fixed.
My experience illuminates the importance of talking about STDs, because the more you talk about something, the faster it gets rid of the fear and stigma surrounding it. After I started talking more openly, I found so many people who had either been through something similar or knew someone who had.
Things like sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, or other “private” health issues are so often considered taboo subjects because there is so much shame around sex and expressing your sexuality.
Although chlamydia is easily treatable and not life-threatening, as is the case with the majority of STDs in this age of modern medicine, if I hadn’t caught it early it could have led to a number of other health problems.
Since my diagnosis I’ve never felt ashamed of it, I’m so glad I took the leap and got tested.
Now, I feel completely safe about my physical and mental health. I will never again put off calling the doctor or getting tested for anything I think might be a health risk, because it’s not worth living in fear and anxiety.
The most enjoyable sex at the end of the day is safe sex. Don’t put it off, just take the test!
Take care of yourself and remember that non-barrier forms of contraception, e.g. the pill, they won’t protect you from STDs, so if in doubt, ALWAYS use a condom and take the time to learn how to use it properly.
I am so happy to share my experience in hopes that even one person will see it and think to themselves “I need to put my health first too”.
Order a free sti test kit
The best way to prevent the transmission of STDs is to get regular tests and use condoms during sex. Completing a home test kit is quick and easy. You can do this by ordering an STI kit online that you fill out at home and send back to the post.
