The Better2Know Blog

A survey conducted by Lovehoney has concluded that August is the month British people are most sexually active.

It is thought that the hot weather is behind the increase, with people wearing less clothes and sunshine making people feel happier and sexier. This is backed up by the summer months of July and June ranking second and third whilst the winter months see a nosedive in sexual activity. February, despite Valentine’s Day, is the month of least sex. Only December, the month of mistletoe and festive frivolities, bucks the trend in winter.

A super computer called “Blue Waters” has been successfully programmed – by a research team for the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine – to reveal “seams” in the HIV protein casing known as the capsid. This capsid holds the DNA of the protein, and is strong enough to survive without a host cell but also malleable to the extent it can break when the virus infects a cell to allow for reprogramming of the host.

Sometimes the opening hours of GUM clinics simply do not fit around your hectic lifestyle. If you book an appointment with Better2Know you can have far greater choice of time and location; a sample collection kit can even be sent to your home if you cannot attend a clinic. Watch our short clip, entitled “Late at work…”

If you would like to watch some more of our light-hearted, informative videos on sexual health and what Better2Know sexual health testing services can do for you then look no further than our Youtube Channel.

As the number of teenage girls with Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) dropped by half in recent years in America, the HPV vaccine is being hailed a clear success. The vaccination campaign for girl was only introduced in America in 2006, and provides protection against a virus which is the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) in the US and is the leading cause of cervical cancer.

Today – the 30th of July – is the birthday of French scientist Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, whose part in identifying HIV earned her a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008. HIV has affected over 35 million people since the 1980s. Had Barre-Sinoussi and her colleague Luc Montagnier not discovered the virus so quickly, the fate of millions may have been very different.

Summer is in progress, and if you are going on holiday our previous blog, ‘Summer romance and safer sex’ offers advice on how to keep yourself protected from STIs. Recent statistics published in the Telegraph illustrate how contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) whilst on holiday is a very real danger.

A new Hepatitis C awareness campaign, called The Big Red C, is focusing its efforts on “baby boomer” and “generation X” drug users of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Its slogan – “Ever injected? Get tested. Hep C – it can be cured” – hopes to encourage the estimated 18,000 Scots unaware that they have Hepatitis C to get tested.

In Ahmedabad, India, around 200 HIV positive couples have started families, their children free of HIV infection due to medical intervention. These incredible couples show that having an STI such as HIV does not need to hinder your live.

Since Michael Douglas’ interview about the link between HPV and throat cancer, campaigners have been given a much needed publicity boost for their cause. Amongst them is Jamie Rae, of the Throat Cancer Foundation, who himself contracted HPV and as a result was diagnosed with throat cancer three years later. He is urging MSPs to back proposals to give boys – as well as girls – the vaccination, saying: “We face a global epidemic.”

There were half a million Britons diagnosed with a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) last year – 5% more than 2011. 46% of the infections were Chlamydia, and Gonorrhoea cases rose by 21%. The figures, published by Public Health England (PHE), have been viewed by many health officials as the consequence of unsafe sex.

Despite being aware of all the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) out there, many people don’t believe it will happen to them. Sure, some people get them, but I won’t be one of them, right? Now, unless you’re celibate, you may at some point get an STI. Indeed, one in two people will contract an STI before the age of 25.

When both partners are HIV positive, it’s easy to think that there is no longer a need for condom use. However, not only are condoms still important for preventing other STIs spreading, evidence has shown that there are several different strains of HIV. Both partners may not be diagnosed with the same strain, therefore protection remains as important as ever to prevent cross-infection.

Summer is finally here! The promise of sun, sand and sizzling sex hangs in the air, but if you’re not careful it might not be just a tan you bring back from your holidays.

The Tamil Na du State AIDS Control Society (Tansacs) has started implementing a new drug regime for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS in Coimbatore in India, reports the Hindu. The drug regime intends to stop transmission of HIV from anti-natal women to the foetus, and runs from the second trimester of labour to the Exclusive Brest Feeding period (normally the first six months after the birth).

Sweden has been named as Europe’s ‘sex disease capital’, with a far higher number of Swedes seeking out treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) than their European counterparts. But they should wear this badge with pride.

A Glasgow drama group has gained support from Paul Brannigan (star of The Angels’ Share) for a set of films that highlights issues affecting people with Hepatitis C.

A woman from New York is suing MAC Cosmetics after a contaminated makeup sample allegedly gave her Herpes, CBS New York reports. A used lipstick was applied onto her lips by a MAC employee at a concert in May, and two days later her lips started to swell. A doctor confirmed that she had a cold sore, caused by contracting Oral Herpes.

Andre van Zijl, 63, was diagnosed as HIV positive over 30 years ago, but that hasn’t stopped him from living life to the full. van Zijl currently holds 39 world records, and now plans to claim a 40th by spending 12 days in a jacuzzi.

Students in Hull lead the way on sexual health awareness around campus, and a recent survey has declared them amongst the least promiscuous in the country. Since the start of their courses, University of Hull students have had an average of 3.32 sexual partners. But even with a lower number of partners than many universities, being aware of your sexual health is still important. How have Hull kept its student safer and more informed?

Cases of gonorrhoea in England have soared by 25% over the past year, but what is responsible? British health officials have warned of strains of the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) becoming more resistant to drugs due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Indeed, in 2008, a strain completely resistant to antibiotics was found in Japan.

As Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust leads an awareness drive through Cervical Screening Awareness Week (CSAW) -running from the 9th to the 15th of June – LGBT health experts aim to highlight the issue of lesbian and bisexual women and their attitude towards cervical cancer.

A renewed effort to find a vaccine for HIV has now begun. Whilst treatment for those who have contracted HIV is available, scientists in London, Rwanda and Nairobi hope to be the first to find the elusive vaccine. A trial in Thailand in 2009 has already found a combination of two vaccine prototypes that is 30% effective in HIV infection, and further trials are set to improve this statistic. Principle investigator of the latest study, Dr Jill Gilmour, believes “it’s not if, it’s when we will have an effective HIV vaccine.”

The use of condoms is essential if you want to practice protected – thus safer – sex, especially if you are having sex with new or ‘casual’ partners. They offer protection against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and are effective as an additional birth control measure. However did you know some lubricants, oils and liquids can in fact break down various materials that condoms are made from? How protective is your protection?

Worrying about having an STD can be a difficult time, it can make you irritable and anxious.  The only thing you can do to find out if you have an STD is to get tested as many STIs do not have any symptoms (until it is too late) and your fertility and health may be compromised.

If your results come back negative that’s great!  Please ask your doctor about the window period, as any new partners from inside your window period may have transmitted an STI to you that will not be detectable yet.  Regular testing is always advisable, especially if you are lucky enough to have more than one partner.

If you test positive for an STI with Better2Know, don’t worry. We are here to help.  We can either write you a prescription to get you sorted and back to normal, or write a referral letter if you need specialist advice, so whatever your needs we have a tailor made solution to get the best treatment pathway for you.

Michael Douglas – of Basic Instinct fame – has recently spoken out about his throat cancer and its cause: cunnilingus. Douglas’s cancer was triggered by HPV (the Human Papilloma Virus), which is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the UK, and can be transmitted through performing oral sex.

Well, maybe…. is the not definitive answer you are looking for.  We are not going to tell you not to worry about, even if you have never had one before, do you think your partner has?  Really?  Are you going to risk your long term sexual health and fertility?  Whether you are in a long standing relationship or not, having a one night stand is always going to be a risk.  Especially if you had unprotected sex, but remember condoms are not 100% effective and do not protect against everything (although they do give good protection against HIV).

If you have had a one night stand, the best thing to do is get tested, and not to have sex with anyone else before you get the results, as you could pass any STI that you have acquired on.  How bad would you feel then?

Better2Know can help, with testing from just ten days after any event that you are concerned about, with results fast enough to get you back in the saddle in the fastest time possible.

There is no nationally accepted answer to what is a Full STD screen. If you go to a GUM clinic, you will probably be offered testing for Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV. Ask them for a Herpes test and they will only test you if you have symptoms to suggest that you have a current outbreak of blisters or sores.  You will get your results in two to three weeks.

At Better2Know, we recognise that this experience is not for everyone, and we offer a much wider comprehensive range of STD tests, including Hepatitis B, Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma in our Full Screen.  Mycoplasma and Ureaplasma are two of the most common STIs in the United States, but are rarely tested for in the UK.  It doesn’t mean that we don’t have it or aren’t spreading it, but it does mean that we are not treating them, and they can cause infertility if left untreated.  If you want a Herpes test as well, no problem we can bolt in on, and of course we have the right test for you whether you have symptoms or not.

The results of a Better2Know full screen take just five days from when your samples are received by the laboratory, we need a blood and urine sample, we don’t need to look at anything that you don’t want to show us, just fast results and appropriate treatment if you need it.

Better2Know is pleased to announce that it has two new clinics in West Yorkshire in Bradford and Keighley.  Once again, partnering with One medicare, a private company, to provide bespoke STD testing services to patients who want an appointment quickly and the fastest results possible.

Don’t worry, Better2Know is here to help.  Join the thousands of patients every year who trust Better2Know with their Sexual Health testing.  Many of our patients do not want to see their own doctor for fear of being judged in a future visit – and of course many GPs do not even do Sexual Health testing – referring patients to the NHS GUM clinics which may not be convenient for you.