so roughly around the age 16 is when i started having intercourse with my then boyfriend. we used protection all the time and ever since then i’ve rarely gone without it. but that doesn’t mean i’ve used it every single time. there have been a time or two with a long-term partner where we didn’t use protection and now i suspect him of foul play (we are no longer together). because of this i’m so fucking scared i have something.
i have 0 symptoms of any std, never even having a fever blister a day in my life, but that doesn’t mean i don’t have something as a lot of them tend to be asymptomatic. i want to go get checked but i have a problem behind that; when i get hit 16 i lost medical care. on top of that i just recently lost my job so i have no money. i’ve checked all over the internet for a place that i could to go to but they all have mildly expensive fees to pay a deposit on or the at home kits are over $100.
what do i do in this situation? i don’t want to have something then spread it to someone else but i have no way of knowing what i have.
6 comments
Give yourself peace of mind and get checked. If you aren’t symptomatic it more than likely will come hack negative, but it’s worth getting checked anyway.
Planned Parenthood
they are there for this exact situation… explain it to them and see what they say
STIs in the overwhelming majority of cases are 100% curable. Unfortunately there is serious stigma connected to STIs which means STIs can come with a dose of shame on top of any other symptoms. If you think there is a chance that you might have an STI do get checked and take any antibiotics prescribed as directed, but also be kind to yourself and don’t beat yourself up about it – there really is nothing to be gained by triggering a shame cycle.
You can get checked for HIV for free by making a blood donation (at least where I live in Europe). They will screen your blood for HIV. As for other STD’s, if you got no symptoms at all, you likely do not have them.
What STD do you think you have?
I agree with the other commentors and also thought Id mention, maybe you shouldnt be having sex better yet unprotected at all if you are this worried about contracting something and not being able to handle yourself. Maybe dobsome research on common types of sti’s and std’s so you are more familiar with whats out there as well as the treatments.
Definitely get checked especially if you plan to continue to be active with others.