Clinics educate mature women on importance of STD testing

Sexual health centers in Vancouver are making a concerted effort to educate women about STD testing, the Times Colonist reports.

The news outlet interviewed a number of nurses and clinicians who said that many women over 40 are misinformed about the process, and importance, of testing for diseases like gonorrhea, herpes, chlamydia and HIV.

According to one clinician, many women confuse pap smears with STD testing, incorrectly assuming that the smear tests for sexually transmitted pelvic infections.

Others are simply too shy to initiate an STD screening, she said, often because of a bad examination experience.

Those concerned about both privacy and sexual health may consider looking into online testing services.

STD testing is a growing concern among clinicians, the paper concludes, with many warning that untreated STDs can lead to pelvic inflammation, infertility or transmission from mother to child.

Currently, an estimated 19 million new STD infections occur every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.