The branch of medicine that deals with STDs is called genitourinary medicine. A clinic that specialises in this field may be called a genitourinary medicine clinic, GUM clinic, or STD clinic. An important function of this clinic is to offer STD testing, including screening for those with no symptoms.
The term “genitourinary medicine” can be confusing for some people. However, what it means is actually not complicated. This is the branch of medicine that deals with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and other problems in the genitals and the urinary system. “Genitals” plus “urinary” combine to create the term “genitourinary.”
The urinary system actually consists of the kidneys, ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys, where it’s made, to the bladder, where it’s stored), bladder, and urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body). In general, problems of the kidneys and ureters, and many problems of the bladder, are dealt with by a urologist (a specialist in the urinary system), rather than by genitourinary medicine.
However, the urethra is closely related to the genitals. In men, the urethra passes through the penis, and carries both urine and semen out of the body. In women, the urethra exits the body right in front of the vagina. In both men and women, problems that affect the genitals (such as STDs) often affect the urethra as well. This is why a common symptom of an STD is pain or burning with urination – in other words, it hurts when you pee. Genitourinary medicine deals with this part of the urinary system, and with the genitals.
A genitourinary medicine clinic is sometimes called a GUM clinic (standing for GenitoUrinary Medicine). It can also be known as an STD clinic. Although STDs aren’t the only medical problems that can be dealt with by genitourinary medicine, they’re the most common and are potentially very serious if not treated appropriately.
Anyone who has sex should know about GUM clinics. Of course, if you have any symptoms of an STD (like pain or burning with urination, a rash or sore on the genitals, or pain when having sex), then you’ll need to visit this type of clinic for STD testing. Your doctor will figure out what might be causing your problem, and then do any testing necessary to verify this, so you can receive the appropriate treatment.
However, even if you don’t have any symptoms of an STD at all, you should still get STD testing regularly. This is because it’s very common for an STD not to cause any symptoms at all. In fact, for some diseases, most of the people who are infected don’t even know it! That’s why it’s recommended that you get STD testing in Singapore at least once a year if you’re sexually active. “Sexually active” doesn’t have to mean that you hook up with a few new partners every weekend. It just means that you have sex (vaginal, anal, or oral). If you’re in a long-term mutually monogamous sexual relationship (meaning that both you and your partner have sex only with each other), you may be able to stop having STD testing after a while. Otherwise, you should definitely keep having your STD testing regularly. If you don’t, you could put your long-term health at risk, because untreated STDs can cause permanent problems like infertility.
Sources:
Mayo Clinic. “STD symptoms: Common STDs and their symptoms.” Mayo Clinic. Published 18 Mar 2015. Accessed 25 Jun 2016. http://www.mayoclinic.org/std-symptoms/art-20047081
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 25 Feb 2014. Accessed 26 Jun 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/std/general/default.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Screening Recommendations Referenced in Treatment Guidelines and Original Recommendation Sources.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 4 Jun 2015. Accessed 20 Jun 2016. http://www.cdc.gov/std/tg2015/screening-recommendations.htm
References
Genitourinary medicine at Shim Clinic, Singapore