The beginning of relationships are always faced with uncomfortable talks: what are we, the exes talk, but discussing a partner’s sexual health is one that can often be hardest to navigate.
It is important not only for you but for the person you’re having sex with to be comfortable enough to have these discussions in order to have peace of mind that you are having fun but taking responsibility for your health.
In a report by the HSÉ in 2018, women aged 15-24 were more likely to have an STI than men within the same age bracket. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea and genital herpes were the most common infections
Yet despite these alarming statistics only 22% of young people in Ireland had planned to get an STI check last year.
Sexual health checkups are no doubt daunting – it’s uncomfortable to talk about and waiting for results are undoubtedly nerve wracking.
DCU Student Union Vice President for Wellness and Equality Dean O’Reilly said that the lack of young people being proactive in prioritising their sexual health in Ireland comes down to people not understanding why it should be a priority, not knowing where testing services can be accessed and the stigma of attending a sexual health clinic or accessing these services.
“There is this very Irish sense of cringe that comes along with thinking about any sort of sexual health services. Many students aren’t seeing their peers and people like them going to get regular, STI checks, so trying to encourage as many people as possible will have this sort of knock-on effect,” he said.
Dean also mentioned that the pilot scheme of the home STI testing pilot by the HSÉ reaching its full capacity is Dublin, Cork and Kerry reaching full capacity within 24 hours of launch shows the demand for free and accessible STI test throughout the country.
An untreated STI in women can lead to blindness, mother-to-child transmission, birth defects and infertility according to the World Health Organisation.
Many STI’s are asymptomatic or take time to reveal symptoms which means a lot of damage could be done before realising there is a problem.
For this reason, it is important to get regular checks so that no infections can go untreated or unnoticed.
Dean recommended getting tested once every three months, regardless of what sort of sex you are engaging in. Additionally, he recommends going in between every sexual partner or once every month, depending on how often your sexual partners change.
When approaching the conversation about how to bring up you or your partner’s sexual health, Dean says it’s better to be aware of each other’s sexual health and that it can only be made better by talking about it.
“Rather than thinking about it as this barrier to the sex life you’re trying to have a think of it as away to empower you on your sex life and to be more confident that you are looking after both yourself and your partner.”
DCUSU also provides free pregnancy tests, condoms and lube to students as well as sexual health screening on campus for €40.
Information about how to receive free condoms, pregnancy tests and lube as well as how to get a sexual health screening on campus and elsewhere can be found at https://www.dcusu.ie/sexual-health