{"id":15423,"date":"2024-06-03T15:07:56","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T19:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prelibcom.local\/?p=15423"},"modified":"2025-03-24T15:23:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T15:23:33","slug":"avoid-google-images-what-to-do-when-youre-worried-about-having-an-itss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/articles\/avoid-google-images-what-to-do-when-youre-worried-about-having-an-itss\/","title":{"rendered":"Think you might have an STI? Take a breath. Skip Google. We'll explain."},"content":{"rendered":"

It's a Friday night like any other: my friends and I get together to order food and watch the latest episode of RuPaul's Drag Race<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we were chatting about our day-to-day lives, I mentioned I had an STI test scheduled that afternoon. Silence. My friends looked puzzled \u2014 I\u2019ve been with my boyfriend for years, so why get tested?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Michelle breaks the silence, visibly surprised, and blurts out, \"Did you cheat on your boyfriend?\" She knows all about my monogamy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I smile: \"No, come on, I just hadn't been tested since I've been with my boyfriend and I wanted to make sure I didn't have an STI.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pierrot, the very picture of skepticism, is sure something\u2019s off in my story. \u201cHe cheated on you, didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I burst out laughing \u2014 the idea seems ridiculous. \u201cImagine! I wouldn\u2019t have told you like *that*! No, no, it\u2019s just that in my sex ed classes, I learned you can have an STI without showing any symptoms. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. We both got tested, just to have peace of mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Sabrina, who had stayed silent until now, declared with a presidential air: \" Ignorance is bliss<\/em>especially when you\u2019ve got Google Images convincing you that you\u2019re good to go<\/em> because you don\u2019t see on your body what you\u2019re seeing in the pictures!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gently respond to my friend: \u201cSweetheart, we may have made PowerPoints about STIs in high school, but that doesn\u2019t make us experts. And on Google Images, it\u2019s always the most extreme cases \u2014 totally unreliable. It\u2019s like thinking I could live in New York just because I watch\u202fFriends.\u201d Sex and the City<\/em>. De la pure fiction. Il n\u2019y a qu\u2019un\u00b7e infirmier\u00b7\u00e8re praticien\u00b7ne sp\u00e9cialis\u00e9\u00b7e ou un\u00b7e m\u00e9decin qui peut te donner un diagnostic fiable. \u00bb <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michelle jumps in: \u201cOkay, but I\u2019ve decided I\u2019m not going to see my doctor anymore for anything sexual. Last time, he gave me a dirty look when I told him how many partners I\u2019d had that year, and made some sexist comments when I said I sleep with both girls and guys.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moved by what my friend just shared, I respond, knowing this kind of experience is sadly all too common: \n\u201cUgh, yeah. What you\u2019re saying really matters\u2014it totally makes sense you wouldn\u2019t want to go back\u2026 So what do you do now, when you\u2019re unsure about something?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michelle straightens an invisible tie: \u201c Call me \u201cDoctor WebMd\u201d.<\/em> \u201cFor real, I know all the symptoms of chlamydia and gonorrhea like the back of my hand.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Okay, but you know you can have chlamydia or gonorrhea without any symptoms, right?\" I reply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pierrot, looking for some reassurance, joins the conversation. \u201cYou\u2019re scaring me with all this. That\u2019s exactly why I never do anything with someone I don\u2019t know, like really well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I press on, concerned: \u201cIt\u2019s not just people with lots of partners who can get an STI. And another thing is, for many STIs, it can take years before any symptoms show up\u2014but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t pass it on. I didn\u2019t have any symptoms, and neither did my boyfriend, but you know, getting tested regularly now gives me a kind of peace of mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A silence falls. I\u2019m afraid I might have scared my friends, but I feel it\u2019s important to say all this\u2014to help them understand the risks that come with STIs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I go on, hoping to clear up any misunderstanding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cActually, FYI<\/em>, just because you\u2019re not having penetration doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re safe, my dear sidekick. Some STIs can spread through skin-to-skin contact!\u201d safe<\/em>, mon petit side<\/em>. Certaines ITSS se transmettent par contact cutan\u00e9! \u00bb<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sabrina freezes mid-bite, clearly surprised. \u201cWait, you can get an STI without penetration?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michelle, always ready to drop some knowledge, jumps in. \u201cOh, I know this one! You can get an STI in different ways \u2014 through skin contact, mucous membranes, body fluids, blood\u2026 It depends on the STI.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sabrina turns to me. \u201cBut you only sleep with your boyfriend. Why bother getting tested if you don\u2019t have other partners?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I take a moment to choose my words carefully. \u201cExactly. The last time I got tested was before we got together. And since some STIs can seriously affect your health, I\u2019d rather catch it early if something\u2019s going on. Like, if I have asymptomatic gonorrhea, I\u2019d want to know before it causes problems. That\u2019s why it\u2019s super important to get tested even if you don\u2019t have symptoms.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As everyone tunes into the conversation, Michelle \u2014 ever practical \u2014 helps herself to more rice and asks, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I smile, because I know my experience will reassure my friend. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing\u2014 nice<\/em>\u2014it was actually super easy. I created my file online on the Prelib website, answered a few questions, and booked my appointment in just a couple of clicks.\" STI autosampling center<\/a> to get tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia. When I got to the clinic, everything was ready, and I even booked a phone appointment to go over my results when they come in. That\u2019s it.<\/em> Honestly, it took me about as long as ordering and picking up our takeout. take-out<\/em>. \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a playful wink, Michelle adds, \u201cAnd how was the doctor?\u201d I\u2019m asking for a friend.<\/em> \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laugh before answering. \u201cI didn\u2019t even see a doctor. I saw a nurse who checked my ID and took a blood sample. Then she gave me the kit to do the urine and swab tests myself. Super simple.\u201d kit<\/em> d\u2019autopr\u00e9l\u00e8vement pour que je puisse faire les pr\u00e9l\u00e8vements moi-m\u00eame! \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t sound so bad, and it *has* been a while since I got tested,\u201d Sabrina says, thinking out loud. \u201cNot since Carl, anyway.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing Carl\u2019s name, Michelle can\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cWhoa, it\u2019s been a while for me too\u2014we should have date <\/em>and go together<\/a>! \u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going, I\u2019m coming too,\u201d Pierrot chimes in. \u201cI want to know as well, and it\u2019d feel way less scary if we all went together!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlus, if one of us tests positive, we\u2019ll be able to go through it together and support each other,\u201d adds Sabrina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just like that, my three friends found themselves at the Prelib clinic on a Thursday morning for their routine STI tests\u2014treating themselves to vegan ice cream afterward as a reward for taking charge of their sexual health. Now, we\u2019re just waiting for the results! <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How I demystified STIs for my friends by telling them the details of my self-test at Prelib.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16803,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,23],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-15423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-astuces","category-depistage","tag-itss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prelib.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}