by Cheyenne Schoen |
Treat yourself this Valentine’s Day with a visit to the Health Center for a quick and easy gonorrhea and chlamydia test.
Thursday Feb. 11 and Friday Feb. 12 students can drop in between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to be tested. Scheduling an appointment is not necessary.
“The thing about this is you don’t have to have an appointment,” Health Center Director Margaret Trout said. “Usually if you wanted to do STI testing we’d do an appointment and it would take a little longer because we also test for herpes, HIV, syphilis, but those are a blood test so they’re a little more.”
Patients who come in for testing are advised to refrain from using the bathroom for two hours prior to their visit for optimal results. Patients will be asked to provide a urine sample.
Testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia at the Health Center is normally free for students under 25, but next Thursday and Friday it will be free for all ages.
Trout said the Health Center is focusing on gonorrhea and chlamydia because those are the infections the Health Center sees most often.
“Gonorrhea and chlamydia can exist without any symptoms at all,” Trout said. “Even if you don’t have any symptoms, it’s worth checking out because you or your partner may have it and not know you have it.”
Students will receive their results a few days after the test. Those who test positive for the infection can receive antibiotics that are available at the Health Center.
All patients who come in for testing will be entered into a raffle for a $25 Target gift card that will be distributed to the winner discreetly.
Cheyenne Schoen is a reporter at The Beacon. She can be reached at schoen17@up.edu.
