Bring Back Happy Memories and a Tan from a Summer Holiday – Not an STI

Summer is in full swing, the kids are off school, and that happy, glorious mood is in the air. One that is simply lacking in the cold months of winter.

Summertime also usually means thousands of Brits will be flocking overseas to even hotter climates in order to soak up the sunshine and enjoy a party atmosphere, usually fuelled by booze. Sunshine and booze abroad sounds idyllic, however it can lead to some risky behaviour when it comes to sex.

Holidays can provide the chance to meet new people, or get much closer to somebody you already know, but remember that it is absolutely vital to still think about sexual health when on holiday. After all, unprotected sex on holiday can have the same catastrophic consequences that it can have at home, namely sexually transmitted infections (STI) and unwanted pregnancies.

Protecting one’s own sexual health, and that of any potential sexual partner whilst on holiday, is imperative. Don’t forget to pack condoms as STIs aren’t the only reason to use condoms. Sickness and diarrhoea, in addition to certain medicines like anti-malaria tablets, may make the contraceptive pill less effective.

It is understandable that a visit to the local pharmacy perhaps isn’t the first thing on people’s minds when arriving to a holiday destination. Moreover, depending on the destination in question, it could be next to impossible to even find a trustworthy supply of genuine condoms.

Therefore, prior to any holiday, have a think about what you realistically may or may not get up to as it would possibly be wise to stock up on good quality condoms and important essentials with regards to sex. Some destinations have much higher rates of sexual infections compared to others, meaning the use of contraception is an even bigger must.

In particularly, the rates of certain serious sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and syphilis are significantly higher in some countries around the world in comparison to the UK. In fact, the majority of new HIV cases diagnosed amongst heterosexuals were caught overseas.

Unfortunately, it’s not usually possible to know if somebody has an STI or HIV simply by looking at said person, so for this reason alone, always wear a condom!

Those who forget to pack condoms for their jollies, should only purchase condoms bearing the European CE mark as this is a sign of quality assurance. This means the condoms have been tested to the required safety standards.

Exposure to the sun can actually damage the condoms, so it is vital to keep them stored in a cool and dry place. Also, don’t leave them packed closely together with any sun cream, baby lotion, or other oily products that can cause damage. It is also essential to wash hands between rubbing on the sun lotion and handling a condom.

At Medical Specialists® Pharmacy we realise that maybe only a small percentage of holidaymakers will be sensible enough to always use condoms when engaging in sexual activities. Anyone that has been careless and engaged in unprotected sex will be putting themselves at risk of infection.

Most that do end up displaying STI symptoms will not experience them until about two weeks after returning from holiday. Worryingly, with one of the most prevalent STIs – chlamydia – most infected people will be oblivious to actually having it due to no obvious symptoms. Approximately 50% of men and 70 to 80% of women will not experience any symptoms at all with the infection.
Symptoms of STIs can include:

. A pain or burning feeling when urinating.
. For women, bleeding between periods and/or after sex.
. Itching, blisters, sores or lumps on or around the genitals.
. Pain when urinating.
. Unusual discharge from your penis, vagina or anus.

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy provide treatments for many of the more common STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and genital herpes.

In addition, Medical Specialists® can provide almost 100% accurate pregnancy tests to be used in the privacy and comfort of a woman’s own home, a wide variety of condoms to suit different preferences, emergency hormonal contraception (morning after pill), other contraceptive pills, and the previously mentioned chlamydia test to be taken at home and posted off for a quick analysis and result, avoiding the time and embarrassment of having to personally attend a clinic for a check-up.

To obtain any prescription or antibiotic or contraceptive treatment, all patients must first undergo an online consultation with one of the GMC-registered doctors at Medical Specialists®, or send in a private prescription by post, obtained from the patient’s own doctor.

Risky Holiday Sex Habits Uncovered by Medical Specialists® Pharmacy Survey

Despite the fact that British weather is generally OK around June to August, this is still the peek time for holidaymakers to venture abroad and bask in the glorious sunshine in popular destinations such as Ibiza, Majorca, Benidorm and many more.

Relaxing on the beach sipping sangria or beer and forgetting about worries at home can feel like heaven, but it can risk making people feel a little too relaxed. This carefree spirit that often goes hand-in-hand with holidays abroad can lead to a slightly reckless attitude in regards to safe sex and sexual health – especially when alcohol is involved.

Booze can lead to a complete loss of inhibitions and then engaging in risky sexual liaisons with strangers…something perhaps people might have thought twice about back at home. Getting too drunk and ‘caught up in the moment’ is a worrying trend and this poor attitude is being shown by thousands – especially those in their late teens and early 20s – and is something Medical Specialists® Pharmacy wanted to learn more about.

These attitudes were explored in the journal Tourism Management, and then discussed on 23rd July in the Daily Mail Online.

Therefore, Medical Specialists® thought this would be the perfect time to discuss more findings on the subject matter, coming from a survey carried out at the beginning of the month to mark the start of summer.

With an extensive sexual health product range like that spans from the Clamelle chlamydia testing kit, to antibiotics for chlamydia and gonorrhoea and female contraceptive pills, Medical Specialists® are strong advocates for the improving of sexual health and sexual health services…even giving away 1,000s of free condoms over the last few years during Sexual Health Week and for World AIDS Day.

Therefore, with summer beginning at the start of July, Medical Specialists® decided to quiz patients about their attitudes to sex – in particularly looking at behaviours when overseas during a summer holiday. In total, 2,235 single people aged between 18 and 30 decided to take part in the survey, which provided some interesting, and perhaps worrying findings.

Although more than 60% said they always carried condoms whilst on holiday, nearly 40% admitted to only occasionally packing condoms, or never bothering to at all. The survey found that 22% were too embarrassed to talk about contraception when having sex with a new partner.

A staggering 78% said they had previously had sex with a fellow holidaymaker, with 40% of the respondents claiming they had even slept with a local. At the extreme end of the scale, 4% of those surveyed said that had more than 10 sexual partners on their last holiday.

Shockingly, more than a third (34%) confessed they had cheated on a partner whilst on holiday, but just 5% of those had been found out by their partner.

Questions were also asked about any possible sexually transmitted infections (STIs) people may have brought back from holiday along with their luggage, tans and hangovers. A statistic that Medical Specialists® finds alarming, nearly half (47%) said they had never been tested for a sexually transmitted infection.

Moreover, 20% of those surveyed said they had been diagnosed with an STI after returning from a holiday overseas, with chlamydia (46%) being by far the most commonly diagnosed infection, followed by genital warts(22%) and genital herpes rounding off the top three at 19%.

It is vital to remember that within certain countries compared to the UK, STIs can be extremely common and obviously this places people at an even greater risk. In addition, with the most common STI (chlamydia), around seven in 10 women and half of men infected with chlamydia don’t show up with any signs or symptoms.

However, symptoms of STIs can include:

• Unusual discharge from your penis, vagina or anus.
• Itching, blisters, sores or lumps on or around the genitals.
• Pain or tenderness in the testicles.
• Pain or a burning feeling when passing urine.
• Darker urine.
• For women, bleeding between periods and/or after sex.

For those that have engaged in unprotected sex (and not just whilst on holiday) or believe they may have contracted an STI, it is vital to see a GP or visit a sexual health clinic to get tested as soon as possible. If the infection isn’t treated, this could lead to more serious health problems such as infertility.

Alternatively, Medically Specialists® Pharmacy offer the Clamelle chlamydia test kit for just £24.85 which can be used in the privacy and comfort of your own home to prevent an embarrassing visit to the GP or GUM clinic and there is no need to take any time off work