Can STIs be cured?

Most STIs are completely curable and go away with the right treatment – and ALL STIs are treatable.

If left untreated, STIs can have long-term impacts on your health. That’s why it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible.

A lot of STIs are caused by bacteria and can be cured with the right antibiotics. Often it’s just one dose of antibiotics, not having sex for 7 full days after treatment and then testing a few weeks later to make sure the infection is gone, or that you haven’t been re-infected. Common bacterial STIs include chlamydia and syphilis.

Some STIs aren’t currently “curable” – however they are very treatable and manageable. These include viral STIs such as the Herpes Simplex Virus (cold sores and genital herpes), Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Treatment for these STIs make it much harder for them to be passed on to other people. For example, with HIV, treatment can make the level of virus in your blood undetectable, and therefore unable to be passed onto others (Undetectable = Untransmittable – U=U). For HPV, regular cervical screening is important to monitor whether or not the virus creates any changes in the cervix that could lead to cancer. HPV can also cause genital warts; any visible warts can be managed with cryotherapy (freezing off) or antiviral lotion.

That’s why it’s so important to get regular STI tests (at least once a year!) – as ALL STIs can be managed. It’s important to see a health professional to make sure you take the treatment the right way, and to ensure that STIs are managed safely for everyone. That includes letting sexual partners know if you have had any STIs, so you have less of a chance of getting them again, and the STI is limited from circulating in the community. The best way to prevent the spread of STIs is to use condoms & dams and communicate openly with your sexual partner(s).

What every international student should do before coming to Australia?

As exciting and overwhelming as things can get, from purchasing your flight tickets, to figuring out where to stay, getting from point A to B, as well as managing between your ‘O’ week and class schedule.

As an international student, it can get pretty hectic but it’s also good to keep in mind what can be done when first arriving in Australia – to ensure you’re on top of things. Some of them may include:

1. Familiarising yourself with your private health insurance policy

Your Overseas Student Health Cover – OSHC is your private health insurance which can help with covering costs related to medical treatment, hospital care, and some prescription medications you might require during your time as an international student in Australia.

There are numerous plans available for you, from insurance providers such as NIB, BUPA, Allianz, Australian Health Management or Medibank. It can get overwhelming to have so many options, but if ever in doubt – give them a call directly and find out which plan best suits you.

Familiarise yourself with your insurance policy and ask about waiting periods and exclusions or limitations. This is crucial to know especially when pregnancy-related care is usually not part of your insurance cover during your first 12 months arriving in Australia.

2. Payment options

Some payment options for treatment and medication can include

paying the healthcare provider directly and get your OSHC provider to refund the cost or
go to a clinic that does ‘direct billing’ with your insurance provider, which can significantly reduce any payment you make for the appointment. You might have to check prior with your OSHC provider or with the healthcare provider themselves, to see clinics which may have an agreement to do ‘direct billing’ close to your area.

Your insurance plan can also determine whether you might incur extra costs for some services – better known as “out of pocket” or a “gap fee”. For more information, please click here.

3. Know your medical rights

In Australia, your medical information is completely confidential and no one else can have access to it, without your consent. Abortion and contraception are both safe and legal, and are available for you at any time.

4. Get to know your what health services your education provider

Don’t hesitate to check with your university or college as you would be surprised that many of them can offer on-campus healthcare options including sexual health checks ups, assessments and women’s health care.

What happens if I have a Positive Cervical Screening Test result?

We hear about getting our first Cervical Screening Test at 25 a lot, and now we can just do the test ourselves! But what does the test actually look for? And what does it mean if you have an ‘positive’ result?

The CST – which is now a swab you can self-collect from inside the vagina – tests for the presence of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). After your sample gets sent to the laboratory, there may be a chance that it returns an ‘positive’ result.

Let’s break down what this can mean.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

HPV is a highly contagious viral infection with over 200 types. Most people who have ever been sexually active will have HPV at some point in their lives, meaning almost everyone can and will have had HPV – no matter if you have a vagina or penis.

Most of the time the infection is invisible, harmless and goes away without causing any issues. However, some types of HPV can cause a variety of cancers and warts.

Cervical cancer is a rare outcome of an HPV infection. It takes about 10 to 15 years for cervical cancer to develop after an HPV infection. 95% of cervical cancers are associated with HPV infection.

Negative and Positive results

If your swab comes back “negative” – meaning it does not find any HPV – you won’t need to test again for another 5 years.

A “positive” result means that you have a HPV infection. This does not mean you have developed cervical cancer.

There are a few things that can happen next:

Cervical screening
If you self-collected your sample, your healthcare provider will want you to come in for a full cervical screen. This involves the insertion of a speculum, looking at your cervix and taking some additional samples to be sent to the lab. If any abnormal cells are detected in these samples, or if you have had 2 or more occasions of having abnormal cells detected, you may be referred to a specialist.
Wait and see
You may be told to wait, so your body has time to clear the infection (most HPV infections are cleared by the body within 1-2 years). You may need re-screening at 12 months but are unlikely to need any treatment to the cervix.
Specialist referrals
In some cases, you will be referred to either a public hospital or private gynaecologist for a colposcopy. This may be due to the presence of certain types of HPV – such as HPV strains 16/18 – which are more commonly linked types to cervical cancer. A colposcopy will check for any abnormal cervical cell changes.

What is a colposcopy?

A colposcopy looks closer at the cervix and helps to determine the nature of abnormal cervical cells.

Like how a CST is performed, you will also need a speculum inserted into your vagina so they can see your cervix clearly. Then, they will use a magnifying glass called a colposcope, which looks like a pair of binoculars mounted on a stand. This does not touch the body.

During the colposcopy the doctor will apply different solutions to the cervix to see which areas need to be test, and if there are any changes to the cervix.

If there are any areas they think need further testing, they may take a small biopsy of some of the cervical cells. This is like a pinch, but should not cause significant pain. These tissues will then be sent off for testing. Afterwards, you may feel some cramping but it is safe to continue with your day.

Cervical abnormalities

Persistent HPV infections can cause abnormal cells to develop on the cervix.

Your colposcopy results will give you more information about any abnormal cells in your cervix.

Abnormalities just mean the cells of the cervix appear different – this does NOT automatically mean you have cancer. Abnormalities can usually be treated easily and successfully, if detected early. If left untreated, there is a greater chance of developing cervical cancer.

Cervical abnormalities are given different grades of severity:

Low-grade abnormality
This means that the cells of the cervix are slightly changed, and can confirm infection with HPV. Often your body is given time to clear the infection – as most HPV infections are cleared by the body within 1-2 years. You may need re-screening at 12 months, but are unlikely to need any treatment to the cervix.
High-grade abnormality
This means that the cells of the cervix have gone through greater changes. This is due to an HPV infection that has not been cleared by your immune system. These changes will be followed up by the public hospital or private gynaecologist for further testing and possible treatment to the cervix.

Finally, if you develop any bleeding after sex or between your periods, develop pelvic pain or deep pelvic pain during sex or if you notice any other symptoms you’re worried about see your doctor. While most infections with HPV are symptomless and while most cervical cancers are caused by HPV there are other rare types of cervical cancer that cannot be detected with a CST. Act on these symptoms and see your doctor or nurse.

Key messages:

Everyone will have HPV at some point in their lives
Most HPV infections will clear themselves within 1-2 years
If you have HPV on your swab, you will need a health professional to collect a cervical screen to test for abnormal cells
Depending on your results, you may need to return for a test in 12 months or see a specialist for a colposcopy
Abnormal cell changes can be classed as low grade or high grade
High grade changes may require treatment
If you have any bleeding after sex or between your periods see your doctor for testing and examination

For more information on what is involved in the initial CST, read our blog post here!

What happens at an STI test?

Getting a sexual health test can seem a bit awkward – but try not to be embarrassed. The doctors and nurses who provide sexual health testing have seen and heard it all before! Most people will get an STI at some point in their lives and getting tested regularly is an act of self-care and means you’re taking care of your health and the health of your partner(s) and community.

The health professional you see will take a sexual health history. These questions are to help figure what sort of testing to have and the possibility of you having an STI. Some of the questions they might ask include:

When was the last time you had sex?
In last 3 months how many partners have you had?
What sort of sex do you have? (anal, oral, vaginal, with sex toys)
Do you use condoms?
How often do you use condoms? (eg. 50% of the time, 100% of the time)
When was your last period?
Are you using any contraception?
Are you experiencing any symptoms? (change in discharge, itch, lumps or bumps, bleeding after sex etc.)
Has anyone contacted you to let you know they have an STI?

If you are experiencing symptoms the health professional can do a genital examination and testing for you. You can stop this at any time or you can request not to have an examination. If you have symptoms and the health professional you see thinks they are most likely to be caused by an STI, you may be offered treatment before your test results come back.
If you aren’t experiencing any symptoms you won’t need a genital examination. You might pee in a cup, self-collect a vaginal swab and/or anal swab and possibly get a swab of your throat.

You can get also a blood test where they’ll usually take just one tube of blood.

Then just wait for your test results! (sometimes this can be trickier than the testing itself!).

To find a service near you that provides STI testing, contact us – on 1800 696 784, weekdays 9am – 5pm.

Why This Sexual Health Nurse Loves Her Job!

I didn’t start my nursing degree knowing exactly what sort of nurse I wanted to be. I became passionate about sexual health nursing about 2 years into my career. I have always had a passion for “women’s health,” but little did I know where that would take me! I started my Masters of Public Health and fell in love with the microbiology of sexually transmitted infections and STI control theory, but mostly the social determinants at play in who was getting STIs and why.

While I still love the microscopic details of how a bacteria gets into a cell and the way treatments work, the best part of my job is being able to normalise and destigmatise sex and sexuality. To take the shame and secrecy out of sex. To support people who may never have been able to discuss something with anyone else and give them that time and respect.

My favourite part of the job is the talking. I’ve seen enough genitals, heard enough details about symptoms and types of sex, that none of it phases me. It’s talking to the person and helping them feel good about their sex and sexuality that has the biggest and best impact.

Sex is supposed to be fun and enjoyable and connect people – otherwise people wouldn’t do it. It’s about enjoying ourselves safely and with care for each other and ourselves. STIs are gonna happen – so let’s take the blame, shame and secrecy out of it.

I’ve been a qualified sexual health nurse for almost 5 years now and I can’t see myself doing any other job!

How are STIs transmitted?

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) can be passed on between people very easily. That’s because there are many different ways they can enter the body:

1) Through penis in vagina and/or penis in anus sex
2) Through genital to genital touching
3) Through skin to skin touching
4) Through oral sex (mouth on vagina/mouth on penis/mouth on anus)

The skin on the genitals is very delicate, and any cuts or splits in the skin can be the perfect place for an infection to enter the body. It’s important not to over-wash this delicate skin or use any products with fragrance. Take care if/when undergoing any hair removal as well, as it’s important to avoid any small cuts to the skin.

Because most STIs don’t have symptoms, you can’t always know if you’ve got one or even passed it on. This is why testing regularly is so important. Just because you don’t have symptoms, doesn’t mean you can’t have an STI. With so many ways for them to enter the body, it’s important to have all sites of sexual contact tested at least every 12 months (but ideally 3-6 monthly!)

So, what’s the best way to prevent sexually transmitted infections? Simple! Just use an external condom on the penis. There are also dams that can protect genitals on the outside.

Stay safe and have fun!

Three Reasons to Love Lube

Historically, opting to use lubricant (a liquid or gel which reduces friction) during sex has gotten a bad rap – especially for vagina-owners, who may have been shamed for being “unable” to provide sufficient natural lubrication.

Happily though, the many benefits of lube are becoming increasingly known and celebrated! Our guest contributor Dr Madeleine explains why lube might be a great addition to your next sexual experience:

Proper lubrication can make sex safer.
Not enough lubrication for any kind of penetration can lead to increased friction, which can be a cause of pain and discomfort, small abrasions and tears internally, and potentially even torn condoms. As such, using added lubrication can help protect from STIs! As an important side note though: make sure to use water-based or silicone-based lubricant if utilising a latex condom (as oil-based lubricant can degrade the latex).
Extra lubrication can make sex more enjoyable.
Whilst added lubricant is essential for some types of sex (namely anal intercourse, as the anus and rectum do not naturally self-lubricate as a vagina does), extra lube can enhance any kind of sexual experience, including masturbation. Lubrication not only ensures all parties are comfortable, but it also enhances and intensifies sensation. Furthermore, the properties of different types of lubricant can come in handy (no pun intended): water can wash away natural lubricant, so using a silicone-based lube when immersed in water is useful as it has more staying power, and can be reapplied as needed.
Lube can be fun, as well as functional!
Lube is available in many different flavours, which can be advantageous during oral sex (especially if performing oral sex with a condom applied). It can also offer different sensations (such as warming or cooling lube), and some types can double as a massage gel.

Of course, if any reaction occurs (such as localised rash, swelling or discomfort), discontinue use, as you may have an allergy to an ingredient. Otherwise, including lube may enhance your sexual experiences in wonderful ways, so go ahead and Live, Laugh, Lube.