Urgent care centers offer walk in services to those who don?t have the time to wait for a doctor?s appointment to open up, but also don?t want to have to pay emergency room fees. Eighty five percent of urgent care centers are open every day of the week, and there are about 20,000 doctors that practice urgent care medicine. Urgent care services generally include things like caring for sports injuries, administering vaccines, travel medicine services, taking x-rays, and treating dehydration, as well as treating many other ailments. The Urgent Care Association of America reports that about 3 million patients visit these urgent care doctors each week.
One service you can go to urgent care centers for is STD testing and treatment. If you have had unprotected sex lately and think you might have been exposed to an STD, it is always good to come in and get tested and talk to a doctor. Together, you and your doctor can figure out what STDs you should be tested for, what your risk is, and what possible treatment options are.
Here are three signs to look for for different STDs. If you notice any of these symptoms, head to a walk in clinic ASAP for testing.
1. Changes in discharge
Especially in women, changes in discharge can be a pretty telling sign that you might have an STD. Look for either milky white, yellow, or greenish discharge when you go to the bathroom, and can signal either chlamydia or gonorrhea. Men will notice differences in discharge as well that can be clear, white, or yellow.
2. Pain during intercourse
Chlamydia, which is the most commonly reported STD in the US, can result in pain during intercourse. Chlamydia is not an STD that you want to ignore, as it can actually cause infertility in women if left untreated. If you notice pain during intercourse, head to a walk in clinic ASAP. Men might also notice painful ejaculation, which should be enough to make them go to the doctor and get it checked out. Chlamydia can easily be treated with antibiotics, and this is definitely something you want to get checked out and not let linger in your body.
3. Warts and sores near the genitalia
If you notice warts near your genitalia, it can either signal genital herpes or HPV. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STD on the planet, and though it?s so common, it usually goes away on its own after a while (about 2 years). Some strains are low-risk of developing into cancer, and can still cause some genital warts on the anus, vulva, vagina, cervix, rectum, and penis. However, other high-risk strains can develop into cancer is left untreated, so if you notice warts you should head to a walk in. to get them checked out. It can also be a sign of genital herpes, which are not warts, but rather sores on the genitalia that can be painful.
Heading to a walk in clinic can help ensure that you get the care you need if you think you might have been exposed to an STD. Most of the time there are cures for STDs, and if there is not, there is a treatment that can at least help with symptoms, such as in the case of genital herpes. Chlamydia, on the other hand, can be cured with antibiotics, which taken over a few days, can cure the STD and have you feeling better in no time.
