Planned Parenthood President: Healthcare Is A Human Right — Sexual Healthcare Is Part Of That

By Dr. Leana Wen, President of Proposed Parenthood


As a ER doctor, I have seen firsthand how key it is to prevent, detect, and treat STIs early. STIs are spread through sexual contact and so they can cause devastating infection whenever they are not diagnosed or treated. STIs — including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis — can lead to life-changing repercussions including infertility, miscarriages, and chronic pain.


there really are several techniques of prevention and treatment, however rates of STIs are skyrocketing In America. In 2017, the collection of cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reached an all-time high of more than two million cases. Rates of syphilis rose by nearly 75 percent between 2013 and 2017.


This is why policies like the Trump-Pence administration’s Title X gag rule are so dangerous. This Title X rule, which was released in February and is scheduled to take effect in May, would dismantle the Title X program that provides healthcare to 4 million low-income Residents of the
U.S.. STI testing and treatment are included in that care.


If Title X is dismantled, key health services would become unattainable to millions of girls, like Mary, a young woman who came to a Offered Parenthood health center for birth control soon after she recently lost her insurance. Mary discussed with her doctor about her options, and she determined that the perfect choice for her was an implant, a form of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC). She expected to pay $50 a month for a birth control prescription however ended up paying $70 for birth control that would last her three years.


The same day, Mary’s sister, who didn't have insurance coverage, either, visited a Suggested Parenthood health center for a pap smear plus a test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). She also derived the care she sought. Thanks to a federal program, Title X, that provides affordable birth control and reproductive health care to females with low incomes, she didn't have to pay for her life-saving cervical cancer screen and STI tests.


because the president of Proposed Parenthood, I have heard numerous stories like Mary’s and her sister’s. Each time, I’m reminded the significance of making sex education and reproductive health services accessible and conveniently accessible.


I firmly believe that no one should have to forego high quality medical care because they can’t afford it or don’t know who to ask for help. Health care is a human right, and sexual and reproductive health is a critical segment of that care.


For Get Yourself Tested month, I'd like to share three actions you could take to protect yourself and your loved ones:


1. Get tested and treated for STIs.


almost every one of our Planned Parenthood health centers around the nation offers STI and HIV testing. STIs never discriminate — anyone who is sexually mobile would be at risk.


the ideal time to get tested is before you have sex, not subsequently, so that you could make sure that you won’t pass on a possible STI to someone else. Appointments to get tested are quick and the results confidential.


there really is no way of knowing definitively in case if you've a STI up until you get tested. Several STIs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, can leave you in silent discomfort for years, and can proceed to a dangerous disease, called pelvic inflammatory infection, that can lead to infertility. Don't wait up until you have indications – get tested now.


2. Practice safe sex.


Condoms, female condoms, and dental dams are barriers that prevent you from both spreading and contracting a STI. Nevertheless they’re only really efficient once you use them each and every time you have sex.


Condoms are easy to find in stores and your local Planned Parenthood health center, where you could find them for a reduced price or maybe free. Be safe, for you and your partners.


3. Get vaccinated against HPV.


HPV is the most typical STI in the U.S. It’s so typical that nearly every person who does not get the vaccine and is sexually mobile will get HPV at some point in their life. This disease is dispersed through sex, and the good news is that it’s rather preventable accessible screening tests as well as a vaccine.


The HPV vaccine protects against cancers caused by HPV disease. Generally, the HPV vaccine is given to kids who are 11 or 12 years old, and it’s also proposed for young people until age 26. This vaccine prevents you from getting certain types of HPV in the initial place, so it’s best to receive it before you become sexually active.


The vaccine, which takes just a number of minutes to get, can be life-saving – it may prevent over 30,000 cancers a year in males and females caused by the HPV disease. You could get the vaccine at many Planned Parenthood health centers, clinics, and local health departments.


STIs are regular and can cause damage to your health, nevertheless they can with little effort be prevented, diagnosed, and treated. Begin by knowing your options and asking questions once you have them. Any time it comes to your health, no question is insignificant.


Most importantly, you don’t have to go through it alone. Just like for Mary, the doors of Proposed Parenthood are open for you. Per year, Offered Parenthood health centers allocate more than 4.7 million STI tests and treatment. In 2017, our health centers diagnosed almost 250,000 STIs – these are cases of disease that, without genuine screening, may have been diagnosed late or not at all, and perhaps even progressed to devastating complications. We also issue antibiotic treatment of STIs.


April is Get Yourself Tested month. Right now is the time to go out and Get Yourself Tested to take control of your own health!