Get Yourself Tested. Get Yourself Treated. Keep Yourself Healthy.
As part of Get Yourself Tested (GYT) month, Planned Parenthood North Central States encourages people to talk openly with their partners about safer sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including getting tested and treated. GYT is a national campaign that takes place annually during STD Awareness Month in April. Young people under 25 make up half of all people with STDs, and communities with structural barriers to care, including gay and bisexual men, Black women, and transgender people, are disproportionately affected by STDs.
Additionally, this year, Planned Parenthood is a proud sponsor of CRUSH’s Minnesota STI testing and prevention week from April 8-12. CRUSH is a Minnesota Department of Health campaign that provides resources for anyone in need of low to no-cost STD testing and. Planned Parenthood is committed to helping young people get the tools they need to stay safe and healthy; testing and treatment is available at all Planned Parenthood health centers.
Statement from Dr. Sarah Traxler, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood North Central States:
“There are still many myths and misconceptions about STDs. Getting an STD, or having a partner with an STD, is extremely common—although most people don’t experience any symptoms. That’s why it’s so important that you and your partner stay healthy by getting tested regularly. All STDs are treatable, and most are curable. Testing is quick, simple, and painless—and completely confidential.”
Background:
Planned Parenthood is a leader in STD testing and treatment and one of the nation’s leading HIV testing providers. Each year, Planned Parenthood health centers in Minnesota provide more than 100,000 STI tests and treatment, including more than 30,000 HIV tests. Many health centers offer HIV prevention tools like PrEP, a daily pill that can help prevent HIV.
Sex education that includes STDs, safer sex, healthy communication, and skill-building around these topics — the type of approach that Planned Parenthood supports and provides — is crucial to helping young people stay safe and healthy. Planned Parenthood is committed to helping young people get the tools they need to stay safe and healthy. As the nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood works in schools and communities across Minnesota to provide education programs and outreach.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health:
- From 2016-2017, the chlamydia rate increased by 4%.
- From 2016-2017, the rate of gonorrhea increased by 28%.
- From 2016-2017, the rates of reported syphilis increased by 10%.
- Minnesota has seen a resurgence of syphilis over the past decade, with men who have sex with men and those co-infected with HIV being especially impacted. However, the number of females is near the record high for the last decade.
- Persons of color continue to be disproportionately affected by STDs.
- STD rates are highest in the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. However, chlamydia and gonorrhea cases in the Twin Cities suburbs and Greater Minnesota account for 62% of the reported cases in 2017.
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Planned Parenthood North Central States and its subsidiary organizations provide, promote, and protect reproductive and sexual health through high quality care, education and advocacy. A member of America’s most trusted reproductive health care provider, our affiliate is proud to support and operate 29 health centers across our five-state region (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota). Each year, we provide health care to nearly 115,000 people and health education to more than 99,000 people in our region.