The Better2Know Blog

An ongoing debate has raged over the origins of Syphilis. The English called it the “French disease”. Academics in Bucharest in 2014 unearthed its linguistic history and found the French called it a Neapolitan disease.

Love Your Liver Month is celebrated for the whole month of January 2022 in the UK. The British Liver Trust highlights the need to show your liver some love in January, especially after the festive period, and how to take steps towards better liver health.

2022 is fast approaching and it is time to make those New Year resolutions and hopefully keep them. According to a YouGov survey, the top three resolutions made in 2020 interestingly were health related.

Alcohol can cloud your judgment over the festive period especially when it comes to safe sex. You do not need to receive an additional unwelcome gift in the form of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or unwanted pregnancy. One drunken mistake can affect your long-term health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently released its annual report on the state of sexual health globally, which includes some interesting statistics on sexually transmitted infections (STIs).   STIs are commonly spread by vaginal, anal or oral sexual contact, however some STIs can also be transmitted from a mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.

Herpes simplex virus is a common infection with as many as 7 in 10 people in the UK population having HSV-1 and approximately 1 in 10 people having HSV-2, according to Nuffield Health.

For those living with HIV, taking a daily tablet is a burden.  On 18 November, health chiefs approved a new HIV treatment administered in two separate injections every two months.  This comes as welcome news in advance of World AIDS Day on 1 December this year.  

The Movember movement began in 2003 with two Australian friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery. They set about bringing the moustache back into fashion by persuading their friends to grow one. Their inspiration came from a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer and associated the moustache with the pink ribbon, but for men.  

A new study on the effects of the national vaccination programme in England on cervical cancer and grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia incidence was published by The Lancet on 3 November, 2021. 

Getting tested for STIs is an important part of protecting your sexual health and it is recommended that anyone who is sexually active is tested at least once annually. However, visiting a GUM clinic can be daunting, especially if it your first time.  In contrast, Better2Know’s private clinics aim to make the experience of getting tested easy, prioritising your comfort and needs.

Dr Steve Chapman is Better2Know’s medical consultant in Spain and has kindly answered some frequently asked questions for us about Syphilis.  He also acts as our virtual consultant and speaks to our patient’s online and over the telephone.

A Covid-19 antibody or serology test uses a blood sample to identify existing Covid-19 antibodies in the body. The presence of Covid-19 antibodies in the blood can be an indication that someone has either been infected with Covid-19 before or has been vaccinated.

Covid-19 travel testing rules are changing on 4 October 2021 for travel into England from abroad.  The traffic light system is being scrapped, leaving just a red list of countries and ‘the rest of the world’, meaning the Covid tests you need to take will be more dependent on your vaccination status.  Here we take a look at some of the key changes.

The most popular and commonly accessible condom is the male (external) condom. However, female condoms are also available, yet they are not as widely recognised as male condoms. How effective are female condoms, and what are the benefits?

With constantly changing travel guidelines, it is difficult to get your head around the most current travel and Covid-19 testing rules. But after too long stuck at home, do not let Covid confusion deter you from taking that much needed get-away. Better2Know has got you covered, offering a wide array of UK pre-departure and post-arrival Covid-19 tests. 

Finding out you have HIV is never going to be easy. You then have to decide who to tell about your HIV status. In this blog, we discuss the different people who you may decide to tell and how to approach this difficult dilemma.

The number of newly diagnosed cases of STIs dropped by one third in England in 2020 according to new Public Health England (PHE) data. The decrease has been attributed to changes in sexual behaviour brought on by lockdowns but also by the disruption to sexual health and STI diagnostic services.

The traditional daily grind has changed for good in the eyes of many workers, particularly during the pandemic, and employees are thinking more towards the life side of the ‘work/life balance’.  During the last 18 months of a Covid filled world, philosophies have changed when it comes to ‘giving all’ to a company and many employees are now valuing their health and wellbeing above their long-term employment commitments.

While condoms do provide protection against most sexually transmitted infections (STIs), some infections can be passed through skin-on-skin contact alone. It is important to get clued up on which STIs you may be at risk of.

World Sexual Health Day (WSHD) is on Saturday 4^th September and is an annual event organized by the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) designed to promote education, awareness, and best practices in sexual health.

With an NHS shortage of the test tubes required for taking blood samples, leading testing provider Better2Know is showing how the private sector can fill the testing void.  First, let us look at the issue in more depth, and the reasons behind it:

There are lots of things to consider when having sex for the first time. You might be curious about how it feels and how to deal with the concerns that may come with it. These thoughts are entirely natural in any case. The best thing you can do to overcome your concerns and enjoy the moment is to be prepared.

Many teens ponder who they are as they grow up. Questioning your sexual orientation is an important aspect of figuring out who you are. You may question whether you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or part of another LGBTQ+ community. Only through this process can you discover your true self.

There is a lot of misinformation and stigma about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) which can make the topic difficult and uncomfortable to discuss. However, STIs are common and can affect men and women of all ages. Globally, over 1 million people acquire an STI every day [1], therefore it is vital to understand what you should do if you receive a positive test result.

Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma, Gardnerella and Trichomonas. What do you know about these STIs? With over 70% of men and 85% of women having had unsafe sex in the past year [1], it is more important than ever to be aware of lesser-known infections which could be harmful if left untreated.

Today is World Hepatitis Day. This year’s theme ‘Hepatitis Can’t Wait’ highlights that, despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, we must act on Hepatitis. Every 30 seconds, a person dies from a Hepatitis-related illness.

Dr Mark Bloch has been working in the field of HIV medicine since 1983 and is now the director of Clinical Research at Holdsworth House in Sydney. We asked Dr Bloch some questions about HIV to gain a deeper insight into his thoughts and experience with HIV-positive patients. 

Pain in the pelvic area is a symptom of many different health conditions. It can be chronic (long-term) or acute (short-term). Here, we explain the possible reasons why pelvic pain may occur and further symptoms to look out for.

Recent changes to the National Chlamydia Screening Programme will alter how Chlamydia testing works for young men in the UK. Under the new rules, it will be more difficult for men under 25 to get tested for Chlamydia unless they have symptoms, or a partner has tested positive.

After the UK achieved the ‘90-90-90’ targets just three years after the goal was set by the United Nations in 2014, a new goal was established – to end HIV transmission by 2030. A recent study investigates how likely it is that the UK will achieve this target.