When did getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases become so taboo? With the alarming rate of STDs in Maricopa County (every 26.8 minutes someone is diagnosed with an STD) you would think that everyone would want to be tested on a regular basis.
Instead the feeling is that if a person wants to be tested, he/she has cheated on thier partner or that they “get around”. Personally I think STD testing is about being proactive about my health and the health of my partner.
I wish I knew how to change the stigma associated with STD testing. Any suggestions?
Erica Bouton
Phoenix
Arizona Willie posted at 7:44 am on Mon, Jun 25, 2012.
I realize young people are gonna do it. Nature doth declare it so.
But the 70's and the days of Free Love are sadly behind us --- ahhh I remember them well.
But with the advent of AIDS in the 80's ... doing the horizontal mambo outside of a committed relationship became suicidal.
If you're in a committed relationship and worried about STD's --- well it seems that says something about either the quality of the relationship or you.
Apparently the relationship isn't all that " committed ".
I don't know that STD testing carries any kind of " stigma ".
First of all --- you are NOT required to announce you got tested on Facebook.
So who knows besides you?
If word does get out and you didn't tell, then you probably have an actionable case against the health care provider where the testing took place.
chatmandu002 posted at 9:37 am on Mon, Jun 25, 2012.
Knowledge about your body empowers you.
VofReason posted at 1:22 pm on Mon, Jun 25, 2012.
Who is the stigma fear coming from? As Willie states perfectly, who knows besides you and the test provider? I don't think they are going to tell as that would put them into major jeoprady.
Abstract01 posted at 11:23 pm on Mon, Jun 25, 2012.
If there is a diagnosis of an STD every 26.8 minutes, that's a lot of "horizontal mambo". Can you imagine how many diseases are transmitted, but not diagnosed in that same period of time?
Not everybody needs to be tested, because not everybody is promiscuous.
Think about that.
Why do you suppose there is a stigma attached to being tested? Could it be that you have settled for less than your best self?
chuckles3 posted at 8:49 am on Tue, Jun 26, 2012.
Hey lady, I don't need to be tested because I am in monogamous relationship with my wife.
But you keep jumping on your back and getting tested regularly. I am sure that will work out well for you.
I wish I knew how to change the stigma associated with sleeping around...any ideas?
VofReason posted at 12:42 pm on Tue, Jun 26, 2012.
Nice one Chuckles. I think people think that putting out rhetorical questions like these will illicit discussions that will support their way of thinking. Guess not.
Arizona Willie posted at 2:08 pm on Tue, Jun 26, 2012.
Well there < is > another way of looking at it.
Some are talking about the young lady having a problem staying off her back --- but it could well be that she has doubts about the fidelity of her partner in what should be a committed relationship.
She may think her guy is dancing where he shouldn't be and thus she thinks she needs to be tested.
But, she need not fear any " stigma " about getting tested because those tests are not published in the paper. No one would know she got tested unless she told someone.
Anyone who would think less of her for getting tested is someone whose opinion isn't worth worrying about anyway.
samkat posted at 7:14 pm on Wed, Jun 27, 2012.
There is one consideration the flat earth religious zealots refuse to face. With human nature being what it is, even their own kind do stray from the self righteous path and therefore set themselves up for infection. Heck, we have had several well known church leaders fall from grace in recent years. They then pass on the infection to their spouses unknowingly. Human nature has not changed since the beginning of time and probably never will.
I would much rather have confidential STD testing available as well as treatment as opposed to simply allowing the disease to continue to spread.
VofReason posted at 1:17 pm on Thu, Jun 28, 2012.
Right. Man is fallable. I think that is right there in the good book. That said, if you sleep around enough, you increase the likelihood you will get one. If you do that, sure you ought to get tested and there certainly should be places to go to get that done. Now, who in the world trots that out as an editiorial? This is like the lemmings who go on or watch reality TV.
sockratties posted at 2:30 pm on Fri, Jul 6, 2012.
While there are many STDs, HIV is the one with the greatest personal and social impact. The FDA has just approved an in home immediate results test. Previous tests required that the test device had to be sent to the company and results were returned after being checked in a lab. This created a record even though it was handled anonymously.
In addition to HIV/AIDS common STDs are Chlamydia, Genital herpes, Genital warts, Gonorrhea, Hepatitis A, B and C and Syphilis. Some of these can be cured by antibiotics. Some have no immediate symptoms and can remain dormant though still transmittable, thus the probability of forward transmission is high. Resistance to teaching about risks and prevention in schools and objections to volunteer efforts such as needle exchange programs complicates the problem.
Not all STDs are contracted by promiscuity. Incidental contact in the medical profession, contact with a spouse who shared a dirty needle or intentional infection of a law officer (such as by spitting) are possible. Early detection can lesson development of a disease or even allow a cure. There is also the peace of mind aspect of testing.
Once a doctor diagnoses an STD it becomes a pre-existing condition with a medical record making a person ineligible for medical insurance.