Sexually transmitted diseases are very common and should be taken care of as soon as possible. Otherwise, significant health consequences may result. There are clinics that specialise in this type of disease, which are known as STD clinics or genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, in Singapore.
A sexually transmitted disease, or STD, is an infectious disease that’s transmitted through sexual activity. These are extremely common diseases, and most adults who aren’t abstinent from sex will be exposed to at least one STD during their lifetimes. Condoms help to greatly decrease the likelihood of acquiring an STD, but they aren’t perfect. Sometimes, a condom breaks or leaks, and an STD can still be transmitted (and a pregnancy can also occur). Condom use is strongly recommended, but it’s still important to be vigilant about STDs.
It’s very common for a sexually transmitted disease to have no symptoms in many of those infected. For example, while chlamydia can cause symptoms such as pain or burning with urination and an unusual discharge from the penis or vagina, it’s also very common for people with chlamydia not to have these symptoms. Sometimes, the symptoms will appear much later (a few months after the infection was acquired), but sometimes, they will never appear. A person infected with chlamydia in this way might never even know that he or she has a sexually transmitted disease.
Even if an STD doesn’t have symptoms, health consequences can still occur later on. In the case of chlamydia, it can cause infertility, especially in women. Once this has happened, treating the chlamydia infection won’t cure the infertility. This is why it’s very important to catch an STD early in its course, so it can be treated before it causes serious problems.
Because these diseases are so common, there are actually medical facilities that specialise in caring for people who have (or may have) STDs. This is known as an STD clinic in Singapore, and can also be called a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic. If you have any possible symptoms of an STD, make sure that you visit an STD clinic as soon as you can, because treatment is most effective when started early for most STDs.
People who don’t have symptoms can still find out that they have an STD through testing. There is a standard panel of tests that can be obtained at an STD clinic in Singapore. Using urine and blood tests, the STD clinic doctor tests for the most common STDs. When caught early, there is treatment available that can cure many STDs, and can help to keep others under control.
Sources:
Mayo Clinic. “STD symptoms: Common STDs and their symptoms.” Mayo Clinic. Published 18 Mar 2015. Accessed 03 Jul 2016. http://www.mayoclinic.org/std-symptoms/art-20047081
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 25 Feb 2014. Accessed 03 Jul 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/std/general/default.htm
References
Sexually transmitted disease at Shim Clinic, Singapore