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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffNot many people feel comfortable sharing the details of their sexual experiences, but the doctor's office is one place where such information is essential to appropriate care.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What's the medical name of the infection or infections I have?
- How, exactly, is it transmitted?
- Will it keep me from having children?
- If I get pregnant, could I give it to my baby?
- Is it possible to catch this again?
- Could I have caught this from someone I had sex with only once?
- Could I give this to someone by having sex with that person just once?
- How long have I had it?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Should I abstain from sexual activity while being treated?
- Does my partner have to go to a doctor to be treated?
What to expect from your doctor
Giving your doctor a complete report of your symptoms and sexual history will help your doctor determine how to best care for you. Here are some of the things you may be asked:
- Do you think you might have a sexually transmitted infection? If so, why?
- Are you sexually active with men, women or both?
- Do you currently have one sex partner or more than one?
- How long have you been with your current partner or partners?
- Have you ever injected yourself with drugs?
- Have you ever had sex with someone who has injected drugs?
- What do you do to protect yourself from STIs?
- What do you do to prevent pregnancy?
- Has a doctor or nurse ever told you that you have chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis or HIV?
- Have you ever been treated for a genital discharge, genital sores, painful urination or an infection of your sex organs?
- How many sex partners have you had in the past year?
- How many people have you had sex with in the past two months?
- When was your most recent sexual encounter?
References
- Sexually transmitted infections: Overview. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/sexually-transmitted-infections.cfm. Accessed Nov. 23, 2012.
- Sexually transmitted infections. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs110/en/index.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2012.
- Fortenberry JD. Sexually transmitted diseases: Overview of issues specific to adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 23, 2012.
- A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html. Accessed Nov. 23, 2012.
- Swygard H, et al. Screening for sexually transmitted infections. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 23, 2012.
- STD trends in the United States: 2010 national data for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats10/trends.htm. Accessed Nov. 23, 2012.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings. MMWR. 2006; 55;1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5514a1.htm. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Screening tests for women. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/screening-tests-and-vaccines/screening-tests-for-women/index.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- CDC fact sheet: Genital HPV infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2010. MMWR. 2010;59:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5912a1.htm. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- CDC fact sheet: Genital herpes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Herpes/STDFact-Herpes.htm. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/html/1/adult-and-adolescent-arv-guidelines/0/. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Partner services FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/partners/faq-public.html. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Truvada approved to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted HIV in people who are not infected with the virus. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/byaudience/forpatientadvocates/hivandaidsactivities/ucm312264.htm. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Condoms and STDs: Fact sheet for public health personnel. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/latex.htm. Accessed Nov. 25, 2012.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 3, 2012.
- Rizza SA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 4, 2012.
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