Getting a sexual-health check should be as normal as going to the dentist

Pandemic days have opened our eyes to the prejudices and stigmas attached to simply being human. One such prevailing stigma is that of sexually transmitted infections, which have the potential to increase as life rotates more naturally after lockdowns and restrictions.

While the rate of infections plummeted the past year, this is possibly due to a number of factors including less sex and less testing. Since March last year STI clinics have seen their services significantly reduced by the crisis, which leads us to question where the current figure of STIs currently sits? Are we being proactive and testing more, are we more cautious of who we jump into bed with, or has the pandemic hidden a potentially high number? And are we still shamed and stigmatised for our sexual behaviours, which prevents screening and testing?

With sex very much back on the cards with the reopening of society due to the vaccination programme, there is an opportunity to change the narrative around STIs, encouraging a sex-positive society which does not stigmatise any aspect of our sexual lives. The conversation surrounding sexually transmitted infections and diseases remains an inherently silenced one. We don’t talk about them despite no one wanting to contract them. Without the conversation and the knowledge, there is most certainly abject protection leaving us at greater risk of contracting an STI.

The stigma most certainly is amplified by how STIs are contracted with sex embedded into a long history of negative perceptions which are seen to be socially unacceptable. "The stigma around STIs is an awful holdover from times past when we didn't have the same treatments that we do today," says Shawna Scott, a sex educator and owner of Ireland's multi-award winning, sex-positive online boutique SexSiopa.ie. "In a culture where sexual abstinence outside of marriage is a virtue, contracting an STI is often seen as almost karmic justice for a moral failing. Despite the knowledge that most people will contract HPV [Human Papilloma Virus] in their lifetime and even the scariest STIs like HIV are treatable, they are still to this day used to other and vilify groups of people society deem "too promiscuous," mainly women, queer people, and Black people."

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The pandemic has not helped the situation, considering the stigma which unfolded before our eyes at the beginning has shown a prevalence of stigma associated with contracting Covid-19. There are assumptions made about how Covid-19 was contracted, drawing a conclusion that public health guidelines were not adhered to. It’s the same internal stigmatisation as with STIs, which suggests negative practices or casual sex. Testing positive creates judgement and shame, as though we have done something fundamentally wrong or against society’s perceived standards.

Safe sex

The fact is that sexually transmitted infections are remarkably prevalent with experts suggesting there is no such thing as safe sex as every encounter has the potential to bring risk. In a frustrating combination the stigmatization of STIs adds to their spread as people feel nervous, worried, or scared to get screened. Symptoms can bring embarrassment and without overcoming this the trip to the clinic is put on the long finger. This fear and shame results in poor or no testing but sexual life continues, meaning we may unknowingly pass STIs onto others and continually damage our own health.

Destigmatising STIs to encourage a mindset of testing and treatment means opening the conversation of sexual health and normalising our behaviours including actively protecting ourselves and practising safe sex.

“We can reverse stigma through education in our schools, and developing a culture of free, regular testing across the country,” says Scott. “It’s not enough to say to young people: ‘Don’t have sex lest you get an STI.’ That’s not going to stop anyone from having sex, and it just further creates STI stigma. Regular sexual health screenings should be framed the same way we encourage people to go to the dentist for regular exams and teeth cleaning. That way if there is something that needs treatment, it can be caught early and cause the least amount of hassle.”

We may not be overtly comfortable divulging the secrets of the bedroom, but we are not talking about openly sharing the nitty gritty of our sexual behaviours but rather a narrative of promoting safe-sex practices, informing ourselves about STIs, how to get tested, symptoms, and what treatments are available. For many of us we know the names but don’t know the symptoms or how they can affect our health. Education is key to highlighting where the stigma sits and alleviating it.

“We desperately need more rigorous sex and relationship education in schools,” says Scott. “I am still hearing from young people who would have done their Leaving Cert in the past five years tell me that their sex education was either non-existent or sorely lacking. That has deep ramifications in our society that contribute to everything from rape culture, homophobia, and transphobia to STI stigma.”

The stigma surrounding STIs may result in preventing us from being tested which ultimately prevents treatment. Adding to this quandary, many infections are asymptomatic meaning you may not even know you have an STI and pass it on to others. To break this cycle we must destigmatize STIs, resulting in people feeling empowered to get tested and protect themselves and their partners.

Encouraging a sex-positive attitude amongst society means recognising that sex and sexuality are normal and healthy parts of life. It means not shaming or stigmatising ourselves or others for our sexual choices and being comfortable with our bodies and sexuality. Taking care of our body is part of being sex-positive meaning we know and understand our bodies and how to actively take care of it, recognising changes, and communicating with our partners to reduce our risk of getting an STI.

We take vitamins, eat a balanced diet, and exercise. We visit the dentist if our teeth or gums hurt, get our eyes tested, and visit the GP if anything crops up. Add to that a visit to your local STI or GUM clinic, your GP, or pharmacist for advice when something is not right down below or routine STI checks when you have a new partner. Let’s get proactive about our sexual health.

If you have any questions about sexual health and getting tested visit sexualwellbeing.ie.

Post-Pandemic Sex Series
Part 1: Behaviour is not easy to predict
Part 2: Talk to your children
Part 3: Getting sexual health checks