Any sexually transmitted disease (STD) strikes fear into the hearts of the sexually active. This is especially true of the younger and single sets, which tend to have sex with a greater variety of partners than older and settled people. For purely mathematical reasons, this increases the odds of contracting an STD substantially.

The odds increase even more when you lack the proper information. Unfortunately, newer diseases such as Mycoplasma genitalium (also called M. genitalium and MG) are little-known and therefore easily passed. Even if you’re otherwise educated about infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis and more, you may not know about this one – or what to do about it.

Luckily, there is a single easy step you can take to lower your chances of contracting or passing on MG – using a home test kit. Today we’ll discuss what the disease is, how common it is, why you should test, how a home test kit works and more. Get ready to take control of your sexual health today.

What Is Mycoplasma Genitalium?

This relatively newly identified STD has many people confused, simply because of the limited information available about it. Indeed, when it was discovered back in the 1990s, it took a serious attempt at deduction in order to figure out what it even was.

As Live Science explains, “early studies found that people who tested positive for M. genitalium often had sexual partners who were infected with the disease as well.” Plus, “the infection was more common in people who had at least four new sexual partners in the past year than in people who had one or fewer new partners in the past year. In addition, people were more likely to have M. genitalium if they had unprotected sex, and no infections were found in people who had never had sex.” (1)

  1. genitalium is a bacteria that requires a host body in which to live. That means it cannot survive out in the environment, but instead passes person to person, infecting them and producing more of the bacteria … which then pass on to the next sexual partner. As with many STDs, this creates an exponential spreading effect, which is why the disease is now found in great numbers around the world.

How Common Is It?

MG is far from rare. Research shows that the disease infects more than 1 percent of people in the United Kingdom aged 16 to 44, and a similar percentage in the United States. (2) In the latter country, it is successfully competing (and in some cases cohabitating with) other common diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea: “MG is more common than gonorrhea but less common than chlamydia. It’s estimated that about 2% to 4% of the U.S. population has MG, says Manhart, compared to about 0.5% for gonorrhea and about 4% for chlamydia.” (3)

Why Should You Get Tested?

On a general level, you should get tested for the same reason you would get tested for any other STD: to ensure the longest, healthiest possible life, even as a sexually active person. There are a number of ways to protect yourself against STDs (including abstinence unless you’re monogamous, using condoms, limiting yourself to one partner at a time and avoiding injection drugs), but if you can’t reliably adhere to those rules, getting tested is absolutely critical.

Even if you are in a monogamous relationship, you should both get tested before assuming that everything is well. Often, there are no symptoms present, even for severe STDs such as HIV.

More specifically, M. genitalium is thought responsible for a large proportion of male urethritis cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They say it is “responsible for approximately 15%–20% of nongonococcal urethritis (NGU) cases, 20%–25% of nonchlamydial NGU, and approximately 30% of persistent or recurrent urethritis.” (4) Considering that this disease is directly correlated with infertility in men and women, that’s a powerful reason to test right there.

The good news? You don’t have to book a doctor’s appointment just yet.

What Is a Home Test Kit?

Enter the home test kit, which is your answer to the embarrassment and inconvenience of scheduling with your doctor. A home kit allows you to collect a sample in your own home, without anyone knowing, for an affordable price. With quick delivery, easy instruction and speedy results, it’s the sexual health answer for which you’ve been searching. No longer do you have to rush off to the doctor every few months; you now have an any-time, at-home answer at your disposal.

How Does a Home Test Kit Work?

Home test kits from iDNA are simple to use. They come with user-friendly instructions and our team is standing by at all times to answer additional questions. As a quick overview, here’s how it works:

  1. Order your test kit from iDNA through the mail. It will arrive in a nondescript package that maintains your privacy from household members.
  2. Follow the instructions to collect a sample, again reaching out to our team if you have any questions along the way.
  3. Mail in your sample to our lab, which uses the same cutting-edge methods to test for infection that a clinic or physician would use.
  4. Register online for an account, through which you will check the progress of your test and get your results.
  5. Schedule an appointment with your physician if you get a positive result. If you get a negative result, celebrate! Then continue to practice safe sex, keeping in mind that many curable STDs can return, so never let down your guard.
  6. Retest as many times as necessary, such as when you switch to a new partner, or once a year for people who have multiple partners, even if you have tested with each one.

How Can You Get Started?

There’s nothing easier than getting started with a home test kit. Forget tons of research, waiting for signs and symptoms, speaking to advice nurses or scheduling appointments. Instead, just order a home test kit from iDNA and take charge of your sexual health today. Our friendly team is here to assist you every step of the way, so you can protect yourself and your partners with greater ease, comfort and privacy. Don’t wait any longer to get your iDNA home test kit … order now.

References

(1) New STD? What You Should Know About Mycoplasma Genitalium. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/52826-mycoplasma-genitalium-std.html

(2) New STD? What You Should Know About Mycoplasma Genitalium. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/52826-mycoplasma-genitalium-std.html

(3) What Is Mycoplasma Genitalium? British Doctors Are Warning That This Sexually Transmitted Infection Could Be the Next Big Superbug. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.health.com/sexual-health/mycoplasma-genitalium

(4) Emerging Issues. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/emerging.htm#myco

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by AtHomeSTDKit

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