Why it might be time to consider
visiting a sexual health clinic on your
return from the summer break
HEALTH
The truth about STIs
THEY might form the basis of some of your best jokes, but
sexually transmitted infections can cause a lot of grief.
But going to get checked out needn’t be embarrassing.
Dr Lucy Jones – a sexual health specialist based in Cardiff ,
Wales – tells Soldier why nothing can shock healthcare
professionals like her.
If you have had unprotected sex with someone new – or
have unusual discharge, a nasty rash, pain, lumps or growths
“down there” – speak to your medical centre or an NHS walk-
in clinic today to get checked out.How many soldiers
visit your clinic each
week?Around ten to 15. They are always very polite
and it’s a pleasure to help them.Who else?
Males and females, aged 16 to 92. An
interesting “at risk” group is middle-aged
people. Sometimes they might have just come
out of a long-term relationship and not be used
to thinking about STIs.You must have seen
some pretty grim
stuff... anything that
sticks in your mind?I would never use that word. I enjoy my job
and feel privileged when patients confi de in
me. But nothing shocks after 14 years, and
there can be many light-hearted moments.
Two that stand out are a man who got a
sex toy stuck on his penis, and a patient
convinced their dog had given them herpes. It
was my pleasure to help these people. I’m not
here to judge.What are the main STIs
people visit about?The most common ones are chlamydia
and HPV – the virus that causes
genital warts. We see this
every day.28 AUGUST 2019 http://www.soldiermagazine.co.ukAre there any
particular issues
among soldiers?Many are concerned that the care we off er
is not confi dential and we will write to their
GP. But this is a misunderstanding – patients
can always ask for their tests and care to be
confi dential. Most people don’t know that you
can get STIs through unprotected oral sex. It
is also common to think a smear or routine
urine test checks for these things when in
fact they don’t.Are STIs something to
worry about?We should all be aware of them, and many are
on the increase. But most are simple to treat,
so the sooner you are tested the better. Left
untreated, STIs can lead to infertility, chronic
testicular pain, pelvic infl ammatory disease
and can potentially spread to elsewhere in the
body too.What is the best way
to stay safe in the
fi rst place?Condoms, we know that. But we also know
some men don’t like using them and women
are not always good at negotiating
their use. Most people don’t
realise that companies have
spent millions of pounds24-31-sol-aug N2K.indd 5 25/07/2019 18:43