Rutgers DAYAM

TALK
Talk openly and honestly to your partner(s) and your healthcare provider about s*xual health and STDs.Talk with your partner(s) BEFORE having s*x. Make sure your discussion covers several important ways to make s*x safer:
• Talk about when you were last tested and suggest getting tested together.
• If you have an STD (like herpes or HIV), tell your partner.
• Agree to only have s*x with each other.
• Use latex condoms the right way for every act of vaginal, a**l, and oral s*x throughout the entire s*x act (from start to finish).
Talk with your healthcare provider about your s*x life, and ask what STD tests you should be gettingand how often.

TEST
Get tested. It’s the only way to know for sure if you have an STD.
Many STDs don’t cause any symptoms, so you could have one and not know. If you’re having s*x, getting tested is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. If you’re not comfortable talking with your regular healthcare provider about STDs, Rutgers DAYAM provides confidential testing that’s free or low cost.

TREAT
If you test positive for an STD, work with your healthcare provider to get the correct treatment.
Some STDs can be cured with the right medicine, and all STDs are treatable.

Which STD Tests Should I Get?
• All adults and adolescents from ages 13 to 64 should be tested at least once for HIV.
• All s*xually active women younger than 25 years should be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year. Women 25 years and older with risk factors, such as new or multiple s*x partners, or a s*x partner who has an STD, also should be tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia every year.
• All pregnant women should be tested for syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B starting early in pregnancy. At-risk pregnant women also should be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea starting early in pregnancy. Testing should be repeated as needed to protect the health of mothers and their infants.
• All s*xually active gay and bis*xual men should be tested at least once a year for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Those who have multiple or anonymous partners should be tested more frequently for STDs (i.e., at 3- to 6-month intervals).
• Sexually active gay and bis*xual men may benefit from more frequent HIV testing (e.g., every 3 to 6 months).

• STDs impact young people the hardest. In the U.S., half of all new STDs are in people under 25 years old.
• If you are s*xually active, you can lower your risk of getting an STD several ways, including by using a latex condom the right way from start to finish.
• Almost all STDs that can be spread via condomless vaginal s*x also can be spread through oral and a**l s*x without a condom.
• You can’t tell if someone has an STD just by looking at them. Many STDs don’t cause any symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to get tested.
• Even if you use birth control, you should still think about STD prevention. Birth control methods like the pill, patch, ring, and IUD are very effective at preventing pregnancy, but they do not protect against STDs and HIV.
• The most reliable way to avoid STDs is to not have vaginal, a**l, or oral s*x.

Now that you know what to expect, make an appointment at the DAYAM clinic today! 973-972-4600