Your health is too important to take chances with. Get yourself tested at your nearest clinic. Then, if you have got an STI, you can have it treated before it does you any real harm.

Sure, there’s a cringe factor about getting tested for sexually transmitted infections. The only thing you can do about that is get over it.

Remember that doctors and nurses test people for all sorts of things all the time – while it can feel like a big deal to you, to them it’s just another sample to be sent off to the lab.

It’s easy

The test for chlamydia is a lot simpler than it used to be. A few years ago, the only way to test was by taking a swab from the cervix or just inside the opening to the penis.

Compared to that, giving a urine sample is a piece of … well, you know.

Getting tested is also a chance to ask questions from someone who knows what they're talking about - and, just as importantly, someone who won't blab to the world about what they hear from you.

STI tests are confidential, painless, and the only way to be sure whether or not you have an STI.

You can get tested at Sexual Health Services (sometimes called STI clinics), Family Planning Services, your local GP, or your Student Health Service.

For a full list of Family Planning Clinics click here.

For a full list of Sexual Health clinics click here.

What to do if you think you might have an STI

Talk to your school nurse (don’t worry fellas, if the nurse is a woman, she’s heard it all before). Otherwise, talk to your doctor.

If you can’t bring yourself to do that, you can always call Youthline and talk to one of their counsellors. You don’t have to say who you are, and they’ll help you figure out what to do.