cuts to sexual health service budgets – the rise of home testing and treatment

In recent years, the government has cut funds for public health services across the country. One of the most drastically affected areas is sexual health – between 2016/17 and 2017/18, the budget for sexual health services provided by local authorities was slashed by around 30%. (1)

This has led to the closure of several sexual health clinics nationwide. For the general public, this means more people will be looking at STI home testing and treatment as an option.

What is the difference between STIs and STDs?

In recent decades, there has been a shift from referring to STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) towards referring to STIs (sexually transmitted infections) - in fact, the NHS website refers solely to STIs, with no mention of STDs at all.

This is because not only does the word ‘disease’ hold more grave connotations, but ‘infection’ is the more accurate description since many cases of STIs experience no symptoms, contradicting the image of illness that ‘disease’ implies.

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Genital Warts and its treatments

Genital warts are small fleshy bumps, growths or skin changes around the vagina, on the cervix, penis, anus, and scrotum, in the groin or thigh area.  The HPV virus that causes genital warts can also be found in the throat, mouth, lips or tongue and cause warts there too. A person can also get genital warts from sharing sex toys and skin-to-skin contact. (1,2)

The HPV virus (Human papillomavirus) causes genital warts. There are many kinds of HPV, and it can stay  in your skin and the warts can develop again.  There is treatment available to buy online for genital warts, following the completion of a simple online medical questionnaire. (1,2)

Many people who have the virus do not have symptoms but can still pass it on. If a person thinks they have genital warts they should get tested, and their current sexual partner(s) should too. Only a qualified doctor or nurse can diagnose a person with genital warts. (1,2)

Read more information: genital warts

Buy a Gonorrhoea cure online

Bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoea, or gonococcus cause gonorrhoea. Some people used to refer to it as “the clap.” It is passed between someone who is having unprotected anal, oral or vaginal sex with a person who has it or by sharing unwashed sex toys that have not been covered with a condom. (1,2)

Symptoms vary between men and women, although some men and women experience no symptoms at all. Around half of women and 1 in 10 men have no symptoms. However, symptoms in men include an unusual discharge from the tip of the penis, pain when urinating and sometimes, pain in the testicles. Women who are infected may experience an unusual discharge, pain when urinating, lower abdomen pain and, rarely, bleeding between periods. (1,2)

Gonorrhoea is an STI that is very simple to treat. It is no longer necessary to visit a GP to obtain a gonorrhoea cure. Treatment, after taking an STI test, comes in the form of a single dose of 2 antibiotics called Azithromycin and Cefixime. This treatment also  clears chlamydia and can be bought online. (3,4)

Common myths about gonorrhoea include that it can be caught from kissing and hugging, toilet seats, in swimming pools or sharing cups, plates and so on. (1)

A person taking a gonorrhoea cure must refrain from any sexual activity  for 7 days after taking the treatment.. They should then take another STI test two weeks after taking the gonorrhoea drug. If a person buys a gonorrhoea cure online, it can be delivered the next working day within a one-hour time slot or at a designated pick-up point. (1,2)

1. NHS gonorrhoea, [cited 29 June 2018], available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gonorrhoea/

2. Family Planning Association, gonorrhoea information, [cited April 2019]. Available at https://www.fpa.org.uk/sites/default/files/gonorrhoea-information-and-advice.pdf

3. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Azithromycin, [cited October 2019]. Available at https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/azithromycin.html

4. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Cefixime, [cited October 2019]. Available at https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/cefixime.html#indicationsAndDoses