Friday, June 26, 2009

Post sex STD tests are a strategy--but what do they cause a person to do? Give up sex? Have less sex? Have more sex in order to "get even"?

Testing before sex is a way to keep some sex from happening, and, consequently, prevent an STD. Post sex STD tests don't do that. Pre sex STD tests will save some lives--some people will back out of the possibility of sex with that partner. Others may be way more cautious. Still others might wait for non-HIV STDs to be cured, if available.

10 comments:

  1. I see pre-sex STD testing as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's a good idea provided that there is an accurate test or series of tests that the general consumer can use at home (the likelihood of there being all-night STD clinics set up in every neighborhood in the US and other countries is rather small). Home testing with a short waiting period for the results to show would empower individuals to make more informed decisions. And if they happen to be drunk or high at the time they make that decision there would be an I-told-you-so factor built in should they choose unwisely.

    On the flip side is the problem of how people deal with the obvious disclosure of a positive result. Something that a lot of people consider private information would become less private. Someone might find out for the first time that he has been exposed to an STD and react poorly to the news. Or, the other party might react with hostility or even violence toward the person who tests positive. In a clinical environment you have professionals who are trained to mitigate trouble. In a private home you do not. And there is no telling how someone who is a stranger to you will react. The unfortunate reality is that home pre-sex testing could foster some very ugly scenarios, not the least of which is violence.

    The current method of post-sex testing may not be perfect, but it does work as it is designed to - and it allows for a cooling-down period for those who test positive for any STD. And you know what they say about going with the devil you know vs. the devil you don't...

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  2. Zak has made his mind up and nobody's going to change it.

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  3. I know. I wish I were like you and able to accept other people's opinions as my own. I wish I could believe in your point of view, just like you believe I'm right in my point of view--but I'm not as good and accepting and flexible as you. So my mind is made up and nobody is going to change it. Well, I'll be able to say, at least, that I managed to convince you of my opinion. You are lucky to be able to change your mind, give up an old idea and accept a new one--like you have come around to my point of view. But don't lose hope, because it is possible that, one day, I'll come around, give up my position on this subject, and accept yours, in the same way you have so quickly come around to my position on this matter. Finally, let me, again, congratulate you for being able to allow someone to change your mind, even if I can't.

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  4.           >"...And if they happen to be drunk or high at the time they make that decision there would be an I-told-you-so factor built in should they choose unwisely."

    it's called the aids epidemic. we don't have to say i told you so. there's the aids epidemic.

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  5.           >"And you know what they say about going with the devil you know vs. the devil you don't..."

    well, it turns out that the devil of whichever one you choose can still kill you. or at least make you very sick. and either of those devils if passed along to somebody else can kill them.

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  6.           >"Or, the other party might react with hostility or even violence toward the person who tests positive."

    two people if they're going to get these tests can agree what's going to happen if they're going to get these tests. people are violent in a lot of relationship situations already. if you don't like the results of anybody tests in this situation, you can walk out. you can get these tests in public place. it's like a pregnancy test. the women pees in a certain thing and goes out to meet her boyfriend or husband in a coffee shop and they wait for the thing to turn color.

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  7. There exist instant tests for HIV, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and other STD's. Home-bio-test.com sells some of these(They are over the counter items outside the US).

    pre-sex STD testing can be a reality for folks willing to pay for it right now(and HIV test is $35).

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  8. It is not clear how they do this to make sure the system isn't being gamed.

        > sexscreener.org/howitworks.php

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  9. I got pre-tested and he did. I was clean he said he was. Then he cheated. Boke it off and then 7 months later tested positive for 2 STDs. Tried to be safe and ended up with proof the only way is abstinence. TOO LATE!

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  10. that testing thingy seemed marginal, almost not quite as described. How about the same clinic at the same time, written record of each test, show it to each other. Even after all that you will still have the problem of fidelity.

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