Sexual health is an important part of overall wellness. NHC Women’s Health and Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Tove Silver is an advocate for inclusive, safe, sexual wellness and provides reproductive healthcare services to patients at NHC Hillsboro Reproductive Health Clinic. Part of Tove’s work with patients is educating, preventing, and providing treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).  Here are four tips from her on STI prevention and treatment:

1. Get tested! Some very common STIs have no symptoms at all, and the only way to know whether you have one is to get tested. You can get tested at NHC Hillsboro Reproductive Health Clinic, or at any other NHC medical clinic.
2. Use condoms! Keep condoms with you – many STIs can be prevented with condoms. You can get them for free at our clinic.
3. Talk to your partner(s) about STIs. Ask people when they last got tested, show them your results and ask to see theirs, or suggest you get tested together. You have every right to take care of your health by asking people to use condoms and get tested.
4. Ask your provider about your prevention and treatment options, such as the HPV vaccine to protect against cancer, the daily medication PrEP to prevent HIV, and DoxyPEP to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

Almost all STIs are treatable or manageable, but that doesn’t mean you want to get them! For example, even though we can treat syphilis, it can sometimes cause long term health issues if not caught soon enough.

Some medications can be kept on hand to further prevention. Ask about DoxyPEP, a medication that you can take soon after sex that can help prevent becoming infected with chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Don’t wait until after you have had unprotected sex to get this – you might not get an appointment in time. Make an appointment to get this medicine to keep with you.

We are here to help answer your questions. Please ask, and if you don’t get an answer you understand, please ask again!

Your providers are here to help, guide, and provide insight on your unique health journey.

Learn more about NHC Hillsboro Reproductive Health Clinic and the Walk-in Teen Clinic.