Did you know quite how easy it is to be screened for Chlamydia on the Island? Amazingly easy.
If you can pee in a pot and put it in the post, you can take advantage of this free service.
It literally couldn’t be easier, so why not get tested?
For those who don’t know, Chlamydia is a very ‘friendly’ sexual disease, meaning that it spreads easily, but most worrying, if you’ve got it, it doesn’t necessarily show any symptoms.
The big concern is that if left untreated, Chlamydia can lead to infertility in later life – so possibly no babies.
We sat down the Sarah Stringer, who co-ordinates Chlamydia testing on the Wight, to get the low down.
The sexual health service on the Island does appear to be doing everything it can to raise awareness of Chlamydia — you might have heard about the Gum Fu film that it commissioned — and to make it as easy as possible for people to be screened.
The Island’s sexual health clinic has been offering a free service to go and get checked for a while now, but being a bunch of people who are always trying to improve their service, they’re now offering a testing service by post – Pee & Post.
How to get started
The pots are available from doctors surgeries, lots of GPs throughout the Island, Connexions, the Isle of Wight College, as well as some youth services.
If you don’t fancy venturing out, you can do it all over the Internet from the RUThe1 Web site.
You don’t have to worry about paying for postage, as a return envelope in provided.
The results
It takes a maximum of ten days for the results to come back and you can ask for them to come back to you in a number of ways – Text to your mobile, an email or by letter. It’s up to you.
If it turns that you’ve got a positive result, no need to worry because all the message will say is that they want you to give them a buzz – so if by any chance someone else finds the message, they won’t know the result.
Treatment is simple
As well as making the testing as easy as pie, the treatment is too – just taking four tablets at once and not having sex for a week and you’re done.
If you feel that you’d like to talk about it, there’s always advice at the end of a phone or email.
Have a listen
If you want to full low down, take a listen to the chat we had with Sarah Stringer about it …
[audio:http://otw-audio.s3.amazonaws.com/pee-post-chlamydia.mp3]
Other VB articles about Chlamydia.
This is a sponsored article. If you would like to spread our message to the people of the Isle of Wight, feel free to get in touch.
