Gonorrhea and many other sexually transmitted infections can affect the throat, the anus and the urethra, and you don’t always get any symptoms. That’s why it’s important to get tested in all the places you’ve had sex, in order to get treatment if you have an infection, to get well and to avoid the risk of passing the sexually transmitted infection on to someone else.Gonorrhea is increasing in Sweden, especially among guys who have sex with other guys. Gonorrhea is an infection that is transmitted very easily and it is treated with antibiotics. In other places of the world there’s now antibiotic resistant gonorrhea, i.e. gonorrhea that is untreatable. Many worry that this variatiety is going to affect Sweden too. Therefore it’s especially important to get tested, and to follow the treatment and the doctor’s instructions carefully.Gonorrhea is found locally in the urethra, anus and throat or the cervix, depending on how and where you’ve had sex. Guys who get gonorrhea in the urethra often get symptoms like discharge and painful urination, but not always. If the infection is located in the anus or throat it’s common not to notice any symptoms at all. That’s why you can have gonorrhea without knowing about it. The only way to know for sure is to get tested.Since gonorrhea can be present in different places it’s important to get tested on all parts of the body where you’ve had sex. You can’t diagnose a gonorrhea infection in the anus by taking a urine sample, or other tests from […]

Gonorrhea is increasing in Sweden, and from 2014 to today we’ve seen an increase particularly among guys who have sex with other guys. Gonorrhea is also an infection that is transmitted easily, so once it has entered into a group, it easily spreads and can increase quite a lot and quite fast. There is a concern that resistant gonorrhea should establish itself in Sweden, but to date, all cases of gonorrhea in Sweden could be cured with antibiotics.Gonorrhea sits locally in the urethra, rectum, and throat or at the cervix. Guys who get gonorrhea of the urethra usually get symptoms of discharge and pain when urinating, but not always. If the infection is in the rectum or throat, it is common for the person not to notice any symptoms at all. Therefore, one can have gonorrhea without knowing it. The only way to know for sure is to get tested.Because gonorrhea is a local infection, the test must be taken locally. It is not possible to detect a gonorrhea infection in the rectum by taking urine samples or other samples from the urethra. Not all clinics are accustomed to sex between men, and as a result it often happens that they routinely just take a urine sample. Therefore, it may fall on you as a patient to tell the doctor or nurse what kind of sex you’ve had, and ask that they take the tests, where relevant, in the throat and/or the rectum and urethra.Against this background, it is a good strategy to get tested […]

Back in the day, everybody had to wait for three months from the time you may have been exposed to the HIV-virus to get a reliable test result. But not any longer.The guidelines regarding HIV-testing were changed this spring by the Public Health Agency of Sweden. Research on HIV has come a long way, and the tools that detect HIV have become better. That motivated an update of the old guidelines:Ordinary lab test: 6 weeks after the risk of exposureTest with rapid test results: 8 weeks after the risk of exposureWhen suspecting the unusual HIV-2 infection: 12 weeks after the risk of exposureIf you are worried you have have contracted HIV, e.g., if you have symptoms of primary infection (fever, flue-like symptoms or a rash), a lab test can detect HIV in after only a couple of weeks.The earlier the HIV infection is detected, the earlier treatment can start and suppress the virus. Starting treatment early makes a big difference in efficacy and overall health. The virus is more active in the beginning of the infection and has a higher probability to be transmitted to someone else during that period, unless safer sex is practiced.So don’t wait in vain. Take control of your health. Take an HIV-test.Why do I have to wait a certain number of weeks to get tested?An HIV test usually detects antibodies to HIV in the blood. How long it takes for enough antibodies to develop varies from person to person. The Agency of Public Health have concluded that everybody has developed […]

A friend of ours is doing a high school paper on people living with HIV. Below is a link to a survey that he is doing. If you click on the link you will also find his e-mail address if you want to e-mail him regarding the survey. http://goo.gl/forms/IBgnN4jJOX