Sexual Health (young people)

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I recently saw a program about this lady who contracted Chlamyidia and she didn't realise that she had it, when she found out the effects of this Chlamydia, she realised she couldn't have a baby. This to me is really scary, you know because people need to know the effects of what can happen if you have this disease but also that there is treatment for it. 

The balance needs to be there for both of them. Emotional support I think is really important for this kind of thing as well, because it's not just an infection, it effects you mentally as well as physically, so people really need some help there.

I wanted someone to tell me that everything was ok, that I wasn't dirty and that, you know, the thoughts that were going on in my head were normal, to sort them out.

I needed to speak to someone to tell them how scared I was, but also just to listen to me and understand and reassure me. I don't think it's always easy for people to go and speak to their family or friends, especially about this kind of thing because it can be embarrassing and a bit of a taboo subject.

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After I told my mum about it, she told me that she had it as well, so she explained to me how it worked, then she was quite happy that they discovered it quickly because like for her, she had it a long time. She was complaining that she didn't really have the same symptoms as me, and the thing is because of it now, she can't, she can't be pregnant anymore, because she had - how do you call it in English - the 'trompe' ?

The Fallopian tubes.

Yeah. One of them, no I mean both, I think both, are blocked, so she can't, I mean she can't be pregnant anymore, so' And this, she never explained to me why it is she couldn't be pregnant, so, I was quite happy that I discovered it quickly and I didn't wait that long to '

In your mother's case what symptoms did she have or did she have no symptoms? 

She was complaining that she had pain, she had pain and she went many times to see the gynaecologue, and he was like, you know, he didn't really care and she had been really disappointed because she was always explaining to him, I have pain, I have pain and he was like, no it's nothing, I don't know. I don't know exactly, but she, she felt the pain for a while. She told me many times but he didn't even want to check, so she went to another gynaecologue and this one told her what she had got '..but it was too late. If you have been waiting too long time, the first one has been waiting too long time so'

So she became infertile?

Yeah, because of it.

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Yeah well after that I would... when it come to the point, if they said no I said well sorry I'm not going to do it then. 

So in a way your attitude changed?

Yeah 'cos one of my ex boyfriends he came up and I went to bed and he was like trying it on and that and I said 'well are you going to wear something', he said no, so I said 'I'm going to sleep then' and so I just turned over and went to sleep. I was really wary after that.

Yeah, having... once I had that I was like right, after I'd been with a different bloke or like every six months, I would go and get myself checked out, Cos' I wanted to know that I wasn't like passing anything on or didn't have anything myself, that I was fine. So it was the Chlamydia that done it.