created by
www.exposure.org.uk
Shh..!
ed S a fe sex a n d g et ti n g te st
Having sex doesn’t stop
once you’ve finished
There’s more to having sex than just doing it. You have to know how to keep yourself and your partners safe from STIs and free from unwanted pregnancy. Haringey has a brilliant sexual health service for young people under 25 that will give you the knowledge to keep yourself safe, and the means to get yourself tested and treated if you do slip up…
Mythbuster People who go to clinics are not promiscuous and dirty, if anything they’re clean and respectful. No matter your age, your doctor will not be informed of your visit, nor will your parents. You can get the same STI again, even if you’ve been treated for it previously. Getting tested doesn’t hurt, and in males, most STIs can be tested by a urine sample. Females would be asked to self-swab.
What Youth think Juliette, 18 My friends often talk of STI clinics as weird, something that they don’t have to think about. I think it’s through embarrassment. But young people need to respect themselves, and understand the importance of safe sex and getting regular STI tests. It’s a normal thing to do if you’re sexually active, and it’s an amazing thing that sexual health clinics exist. Some think that getting tested hurts, and of course there is an anxiety that you may have an STI. I also think that there are young people that are ashamed about unprotected sex. You don’t talk to your friends about it as they may think you’re disgusting or something, like you’ll get a reputation. If you talk about STIs to people the reaction is usually funny faces and noises like ‘eurrgh’. I think it should be law that everybody has to get tested two times a year.
Marios, 18 Sexual health clinics are not very popular. Some young people use them regularly but I think most would just rather not know if that have an STI than get tested before having symptoms. I think it’s mainly down to embarrassment and people they know finding out. But the service is confidential and nobody will be told without your permission. It’s important to raise awareness of clinics and the way they function. I think putting posters in schools and having lectures would help.
Jalil, 18 The young people I know put it to the back of their mind. They know that there is a risk from having unprotected sex, but they’re young, and don’t really care, it’s a kind of ‘it won’t happen to me’ way of thinking. Most young people act first and think after. Lots of young people don’t like going to the clinics because they are going to be touched where they don’t want to be. It’s a private thing, and some one else is invading your space. You grow up being taught to be modest, and to cover up, now you suddenly have to go to the clinic and do the exact opposite. You can get home testing kits for STIs like chlamydia.
‘Experienced’
Tom, 18 About a year ago I had unprotected sex on a one-night stand. I didn’t really think much about it. A few weeks passed and I started getting pain in my groin area. My first thought was that I had testicular cancer and I was very scared. But then I also noticed I had a whitish sort of discharge from my penis. I guessed that I’d picked it up an STI from sleeping with that girl. I knew about symptoms of chlamydia from watching a programme on television. However I was more worried that I had picked up something else as well. You can’t tell if someone is infected just by looking at them. It took me ages to pluck up the courage to go to the clinic even though I was in pain. I called a sexual health helpline and they encouraged me to go to one of the sexual health clinics in Haringey. I went along feeling anxious and a bit ashamed. However the people there were really friendly and helped me relax. They gave me loads of information and explained the testing procedure. I got screened for all STIs and it only took a few minutes, and I found that I hadn’t contracted HIV straightaway after having a rapid test. I did have chlamydia however and was prescribed some antibiotics. Problem solved. I’ll be more careful in future.
res
Facts and figu
63% of people with chlamydia are between the ages of 16 and 24 Just under a 1000 young people were screened for STIs in Haringey last year
res
Facts and figu
Haringey is one of the top ten hotspots for STIs in England 1 in 10 young people who catch an STI become re-infected within a year
Shanika, (now
19)
A few years ago a friend of mine went to a sexual health clinic in south London. She wanted to have a contraceptive implant put in her arm. Ever since that experience I have been put off, the woman there wasn’t very nice and she talked down to my friend because she was a teen mum. I never had much cause to go to clinics anyway. I was on the pill, which I got through my doctor. But then there was this rumour going around the area I live in that an exboyfriend had caught chlamydia. I’d never heard of it (I actually thought it was a girl’s name at first!) someone told me it was an STI. After I googled it I knew I had to get tested, especially as I found out it can be symptomless. The nearest clinic was St Ann’s Hospital, which was only around the corner. I was pretty nervous. I booked an appointment, got their early and waited – I was really worried that firstly I had an STI and secondly that they would tell my mum. I think they could tell I was nervous. The woman was really nice. I told her everything that happened, and I spoke to her about what I’d read about chlamydia; I was worried that I could become infertile (chlamydia can do this to you). She was very calm and said that that was a possibility, so it’s important to know. She also gave me other important information like wearing condoms even if you are on the pill, as the pill only stops pregnancy. I felt comfortable enough to get tested. I got a text a few days later and I was given the all clear! I think catching a STI is far scarier than going to a sexual health clinic.
Spread knowledge... not disease er
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At the clinic… The Test Lots of young people have fears and myths about what happens when you get tested for an STI. There are four clinics across Haringey, you’ll be made to feel very feel comfortable at all of them. You won’t be asked to strip naked, and unless your symptoms require it, you may not even have to take your coat off. No one will find out about your visit. Not your parents, nor your family doctor. The process is completely confidential unless there is a risk to your personal safety.
Jerome, 24 “I got referred by my doctor. It is my first time here and the staff look helpful and friendly. Young people should access sexual health clinics so they can learn how to protect themselves. Furthermore it is good for them to discuss problems they cannot talk to friends and family about.”
Janine, 17 “They are really good at the St Ann’s sexual health clinic. They help people. With their help I’ve kept myself free from infection and clean.”
Shelly, 17 “The staff at St Ann’s are very supportive and give loads of good advice. They help me stay free from STIs and unwanted pregnancy.”
created by
www.exposure.org.uk
ow
What you do n Visit
www.shharingey.co.uk
for information on sexual
health/contraception. You can also call
020 8442 6536
to get further advice and guidance.
C Card There’s an easy way for young people under 25 to get condoms in Haringey and across London. Register for the C Card scheme and get a card and ID number unique to you. Use it at selected C Card points in Haringey and across London to get condoms and information you need to have safe sex. You will also be notified when you need to see a health professional such as a 4YP Nurse or make an appointment at a clinic. For more information visit
www.shharingey.co.uk
Thanks to all the following young volunteers who contributed to creating this supplement: Jalil Gibson, Erika Szilaidi, Murius Bacher, Pien Visser, Juliet Kamzol, Jessica Michael, Shanika, Tom, Jerome, Jenine and Shelly. Some names have been changed for privacy. *Statistics from Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Haringey Sexual Health