The Better2Know Blog

Michael Douglas – of Basic Instinct fame – has recently spoken out about his throat cancer and its cause: cunnilingus. Douglas’s cancer was triggered by HPV (the Human Papilloma Virus), which is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the UK, and can be transmitted through performing oral sex.

Well, maybe…. is the not definitive answer you are looking for.  We are not going to tell you not to worry about, even if you have never had one before, do you think your partner has?  Really?  Are you going to risk your long term sexual health and fertility?  Whether you are in a long standing relationship or not, having a one night stand is always going to be a risk.  Especially if you had unprotected sex, but remember condoms are not 100% effective and do not protect against everything (although they do give good protection against HIV).

If you have had a one night stand, the best thing to do is get tested, and not to have sex with anyone else before you get the results, as you could pass any STI that you have acquired on.  How bad would you feel then?

Better2Know can help, with testing from just ten days after any event that you are concerned about, with results fast enough to get you back in the saddle in the fastest time possible.

There is no nationally accepted answer to what is a Full STD screen. If you go to a GUM clinic, you will probably be offered testing for Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. Ask them for a Herpes test and they will only test you if you have symptoms to suggest that you have a current outbreak of blisters or sores.  You will get your results in two to three weeks.

At Better2Know, we recognise that this experience is not for everyone, and we offer a much wider comprehensive range of STD tests, including Hepatitis B, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma in our Full Screen.  Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma are two of the most common STIs in the United States, but are rarely tested for in the UK.  It doesn’t mean that we don’t have it or aren’t spreading it, but it does mean that we are not treating them, and they can cause infertility if left untreated.  If you want a Herpes test as well, no problem we can bolt in on, and of course we have the right test for you whether you have symptoms or not.

The results of a Better2Know full screen take just five days from when your samples are received by the laboratory, we need a blood and urine sample, we don’t need to look at anything that you don’t want to show us, just fast results and appropriate treatment if you need it.

Better2Know is pleased to announce that it has two new clinics in West Yorkshire in Bradford and Keighley.  Once again, partnering with One medicare, a private company, to provide bespoke STD testing services to patients who want an appointment quickly and the fastest results possible.

Don’t worry, Better2Know is here to help.  Join the thousands of patients every year who trust Better2Know with their Sexual Health testing.  Many of our patients do not want to see their own doctor for fear of being judged in a future visit – and of course many GPs do not even do Sexual Health testing – referring patients to the NHS GUM clinics which may not be convenient for you.

Instant or Rapid HIV tests have improved a lot over the years, and it is now possible to get a very accurate results just 26 days after potential exposure.  This is the most advanced test we know about, and the Rapid HIV test that we use at our STD testing clinics.  The test takes 20 minutes to run, so do not be surprised if the doctor asks you to wait while the test runs.

The rapid HIV  test we use at Better2Know is a fourth generation HIV test (which means that it is the fourth in a line of constantly improving tests – in some countries (e.g. Switzerland) only fourth generation tests are legal.  A fourth generation test is also known as the H-Duo as it tests for both the p24 antigen and the HIV 1 and 2 antibodies so that it will detect HIV starting from a minimum of 26 days.

Use our on line booking app to find the nearest rapid HIV test for you.

Here are the answers to last weeks Sexual Health quiz:

A recent survey by Balance Activ found that British women knew more about beauty treatments than sexual health.  67% people knew what a bikini wax was, but only 39% had heard of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) which can lead to infertility and an increased chance of catching other STIs.

Strange as it may seem, you can get an STI that’s a sexually transmitted infection without actually having sex – in the intercourse sense of the word.  This is because some STIs can be passed on by skin to skin (or body fluid to body fluid) contact, and bacteria and viruses just love the warmer and moist environment that being intimate can often create.

Better2Know delivers private, confidential and anonymous Sexual Health testing services for adults through our network of over 80 partner clinics across the UK. Our service provides an alternative to the NHS and charitable services, offering patients the opportunity to see clinicians without visiting their own GP or GUM clinic.

At Better2Know, we tend to use the acronyms STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) and STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) interchangeably, but we are often asked which one is “correct”?  The short answer is that they both are.  The cover all the different “things” that we test for. STD is now seen as a more old-fashioned term as the term disease conveys an illness that is dangerous and long lasting.  Many of the infections we test for can be treated with antibiotics and can clear up in a week – hardly the same as a disease.

There are some symptoms associated with being HIV positive, but it must be noted that these symptoms do not mean that you are HIV positive, they are also very commonly found with other illnesses including cold/ flu and tummy upset/ food poisoning.  Even if you have more than one symptom please do not panic, it does not mean you are HIV positive.  It is a good idea to get tested alongside treating the symptoms if you have engaged in risky activity such as unprotected sex.

A baby girl, born in Mississippi has been cured of HIV, by the early treatment given to the baby in the first 30 hours of her life.

The most popular STD tests and screens at Better2Know change regularly, however the top five choices remain pretty consistent, they are:

1. HIV Test
2. Full STD/ STI Screen for HIV, Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Hepatitis B, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma
3. Comfort Screen a urine only test for: Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, Herpes (Current Infection), Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, Trichomonas and Gardnerella
4. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea
5. Herpes

This shows the popularity of tests which are not available on the NHS (mycoplasma, ureaplasma, trichomonas, gardnerella) and also the Herpes blood test which detects the Herpes Virus (types I and II) whether or not you have symptoms (the NHS usually only tests if you have symptoms).  With testing for Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma increasingly common in Europe and the USA, and budgets being stretched in the NHS, more people are taking control and seeking a new way of testing.

In the UK, London has the highest proportion and number of people who are living with HIV in the country.  However, the funding to prevent new infections has been cut, despite record numbers of people being found to be HIV+.

A sexual health group have pressured the Scottish Government to consider allowing the morning after pill to be available in schools.

Before considering having a baby it is really important to be certain that you are not carrying any sexually transmitted infections. These infections can be passed on to your baby before they are born and they can also make it more difficult for you to get pregnant. If you are considering donating sperm then you should also get tested to be certain you are not passing any infection onto the mother.

We understand how worrying this is, when you have done the right thing, and then get let down by the equipment.  As far as your STD and STI testing needs are concerned, in this situation both of you should have a full STD screen as infection could go both ways.

The important thing is not to get into a blame game. The really important thing is that they have done the right thing and told you.

It does only take one time to get an STD, STI or HIV. Of course the chances are less than if you have multiple partners, but if you sleep with someone without knowing whether they are infected then once is all it takes.

If you don’t really know what happened, and you have not got any symptoms or outward signs of infection, then Better2Know would suggest the full STD screen.

The first thing is that you should not sleep with your partner until you get tested without using protection (but see our suggestions for just touching and oral sex in this series). We have an incubation or window period for all our tests – this is the time that needs to pass before any STI or STD will be detectable, but you can still transmit any infection in this time.

Needle Stick injuries are usually caused when a health care worker accidentally has their skin broken by a needle or syringe which may have come from a contaminated patient or another source.  They can also be common with professionals (social care and legal staff) who work with patients in health or social care setting.

Congratulations for playing it quite safe, but there are still STIs and STDs that can be passed on through bodily contact.

Sexual Intercourse with a sex worker is one of the most high risk sexual activities there are, because of the large number of partners that each sex worker has, and many clients use more than one sex worker, so it is easy to see how infection can spread and very quickly.  Don’t worry – you are not alone – if no one had sex with a prostitute or sex worker then the service simply wouldn’t exist.

Certain STDs and STIs can be transmitted through the thin lining in the mouth, this is more likely if the person who gave you a blow job had a cut or sore in their mouth. Most commonly these are Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, but can also include HIV although that is rare.

Due to an increase in demand for Rapid HIV testing, Better2Know is now using a fourth generation rapid HIV test. This test is the most advanced test available and is run by your Better2Know doctor while you wait. It takes just twenty minutes to get you your HIV status, and is over 99% accurate just 26 days after an incident you are concerned about. The test is useful for anyone who wants fast results for peace of mind, or because they need an HIV certificate as proof of their HIV status for work or travel (some countries require you to show that you are HIV negative before giving you a visa).

Rapid HIV testing is available in:

• London
• Birmingham
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• Cheltenham
• Chichester
• Edinburgh
• Liverpool
• Maidstone
• Manchester
• Milton Keynes
• Newcastle
• Oxford
• Perth
• Portsmouth
• Sheffield
• Swansea

The cost is £160, or £120 if added on to any other STD test.

Calculations by the World Health Organisation show that throughout the world, nine million people are affected by Chancroid every year. Despite the fact that Chancroid is considered to be very uncommon in western societies (with as little as one in every two million people having Chancroid), statistics show that those who have been diagnosed, have visited areas where the disease is very common.

HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust is launching a new campaign to remind gay and bisexual men in London that – if they have had unprotected anal sex with a new or casual partner – they should not delay getting tested for HIV.