This April, STI Awareness Matters More Than Ever | Opinion

April marks STI Awareness Month, a time to educate Americans about sexually transmitted infections that affect millions of people.

First, it is important to understand the difference between STIs and STDs. While the former refers to infections, the latter refers to sexually transmitted diseases with obvious signs and symptoms. "STI" is the increasingly common term, since certain STDs have no signs or symptoms in the majority of people infected by them. For instance, you can be infected by sexually transmitted bacteria like chlamydia or herpes, but not have a "disease" with symptoms. There may not even be a sign of infection.

This is an incredibly important point on multiple levels. For starters, STIs are rising by the year. Cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are skyrocketing, affecting millions of people. Over half of Americans will have an STI in their lifetime, with 20 million new cases each year. At any given moment, there are more than 110 million sexually transmitted infections among men and women in the United States, and no age group is immune.

But STI awareness is also important because, well, millions of Americans are unaware of infections with no signs or symptoms. We need to know what we don't know: Asymptomatic STIs are more common than you think, with some even calling it a "hidden epidemic."

This unfortunate reality highlights the need for enhanced public health efforts, including better education on sexual health, improved access to testing and treatment (including new treatment options), and increased funding for prevention programs. If left undiagnosed and untreated, STIs can have serious health consequences, such as infertility, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth in infants, and greater risk for HIV transmission.

Therefore, early detection is key. Individual responsibility comes down to testing, testing, and testing some more. Understanding the frequency of STI testing is crucial for maintaining sexual health. It's also crucial to understand the different diseases. While syphilis is confirmed through a blood test, both chlamydia and gonorrhea tests can be conducted with swab samples of the genitals, throat, or anus.

Then there's frequency. How often should you test?

The frequency of swabbing for STIs does vary based on individual circumstances, but there are general guidelines that Americans should follow. For instance, sexually active adults should get tested annually. And that is only a baseline recommendation—more frequent testing may be necessary based on certain risk factors, such as the presence of another bacterial infection.

People with multiple or new sexual partners should get tested even more often, possibly every three to six months. If you're having unprotected sex, testing frequency is even higher—after sex, every time. Then there are pregnant women, who should schedule routine screenings for STIs because certain diseases can affect both the mother and the baby.

Responsible adults should also understand the ideal swab for STI testing: For diagnostic specimen collection, a synthetic tip on a synthetic handle. But swabs may vary. For example, vaginal swab testing relies on spun fiber swabs that are either rayon- or polyester-tipped. Most people are not experts on STIs, so it is imperative to consult with a health care provider to determine how often you should be tested and which tests are appropriate for you.

Patients must ultimately trust their providers to do the right thing, but that involves knowing yourself too. After all, testing guidelines and processes change based on individual risk factors, including age and sexual behavior. Take that into account.

Let April be a wake-up call for us all. The only way to address a hidden epidemic is to bring it out into the open, and that means STI testing—lots and lots of testing.

Virginia Templet serves as marketing director at Puritan Medical Products.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.