This has probably come up before, but something like this is worth posting again in my opinion.

I got tested for STD's/STI's for the first time today, and I'm glad I did it. I've done my research and have had no symptoms whatsoever to suggest I have any, but I got tested anyway. I've also probably been with nowhere near as many girls as a fair amount of you have, but I still got tested.

Why? Because it's totally possible that you and/or your partner are infected, and have no symptoms whatsoever. From what I learned today, 1/4 girls have the herpes virus, and 1/5 guys has it as well, but the vast majority never show any symptoms of having such. Also, some places usually only test for herpes if the person is showing symptoms, unless they specifically request for it and pay extra.

A FWB I once had got tested regularly as well, and she was clean (at least she claimed to be), but I still wanted to be tested for my own peace of mind if nothing else. When someone gets tested, that usually only means clean at the time of testing; anything can happen afterwards.

For those of you who are putting it off for whatever reason (like I did for a couple months) I simply have to ask, would you rather get tested now, or after you develop some really nasty symptoms and irreversible damage?

If you think you may be judged adversely or otherwise am uncomfortable with what other people may think, realize that the doctors and nurses involved are very professional about it and it's a routine procedure. Doctors and nurses usually see far more fucked up, gruesome things in their professions, so examining someone's genitals is nothing to them.

Oh, and proper protection goes without saying; Trojan2Go's all the way for me. Yeah, I've done it without a condom before but never on the first time with a new partner.

If you're a college student, see if your school's health center offers STD testing; if not then I think finding a place that offers such is ultimately worth going out of your way for.

That's all I have to say, peace out!

tl;dr get checked for STD's/STI's on a regular basis, even in the absence of symptoms