Check You
Our guide for gay and bisexual men on what to expect when you go for a sexual health check-up.
The Lesbian & Gay Foundation has released a new resource which aims to dispel all of the myths surrounding going to a sexual health clinic.
It is well known that gay and bisexual men are more at risk of being exposed to sexually transmitted infections and HIV, and although more men are going for tests, there are still a sizeable number of people who would rather not know, and just hope that things are ok.
Going for a sexual health check-up has never been easier and sexual health clinics are no longer places to be embarrassed about.
You don’t need to have symptoms to go for a test, and it should be built in to be a part of your regular health care. In fact, by having check ups before you have symptoms, you dramatically reduce the risk of running into complications later on.
Gay and bisexual men should be getting an HIV test at least once every 12 months, or more often if you think that you may have put yourself at risk of exposure to infections.
How often you test is really up to you, but if you are having sex with different people, even just oral sex, you are putting yourself at higher risk of contracting chlamydia, gonorrhoea or syphilis.
Regular check ups help to ensure that if you have picked up something, it can be dealt with quickly.
Most common sexually transmitted infections can be cured with antibiotics, and in the case of HIV (for which there is no cure) treatments are available, and you will be putting yourself in a much better place in terms of your long term health.
The LGF runs sexual health clinics in partnership with Manchester Public Health Development Service and the Manchester Centre for Sexual Health. Please go to www.lgf.org.uk/testing or call 0845 3 30 30 30 for more information.
If you would like copies of this resource just email us for more information. We'll need to know where you want them sending to and how many you'd like.
Check You
Released/updated: 2011
Our guide for gay and bisexual men on what to expect when you go for a sexual health check-up.
Packed full of information on HIV and HIV prevention, this guide was created for World Aids Day 2011 and designed to target 16 to 25 year old gay and bisexual men.