5 Sexual Health Resources for Latinas

• In this era the information about health is close to us
• This are some source you can check when you need help
• Is important to know where to search

Sexual health can be an uncomfortable topic for Latina women, but a lack of discussion and sexual education leads to increased infection rates in sexually transmitted diseases. For example, the Center for Disease Control reports that Chlamydia infection rates for Latinos is 2.4 times the rate that Caucasians are infected.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your primary care doctor about your sexual health and concerns, you have several discrete sexual health resources to explore for fielding your questions and getting the help you need. STD Clinics. The Center for Disease Control provides a nationwide resource for finding STD clinics in your area. If you want a low cost option for STD testing, or you’d rather not talk to your normal doctor about sexual health concerns, go to your local clinic and get the information you need to stay safe and healthy. Some clinics offer free testing events, while others offer sliding scale rates on their tests. In addition, most clinics also have bilingual staff available.

Online Symptom Checkers

We get it, you don’t want to lose time, money, and privacy by talking to your doctor about concerning symptoms. You also don’t want to worry your familia and amigas if your concerns are unfounded. Use an online symptom checker such as Memd.me to check out the problems you’re having online.

You’ll get a general idea of what the potential problems are, helping you decide if it’s necessary to head to the doctor’s office or talk with your amigas (who may have dealt with the same problem before). Understanding the possibilities may cut down on your embarrassment, as you can suggest specific disease possibilities instead of describing specific symptoms.

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood is another option for sexual health concerns without involving your regular doctor. These clinics provide you with sexual health information, access to various birth control methods, STD testing, and other women’s services on a sliding scale fee.

They answer your questions and provide extensive information on all matters of sexual health topics, as well as support for the LGBT community. You might be too embarrassed to talk about any issues with your familia, but fortunately Planned Parenthood keeps your concerns and information confidential.

Sexual Health Forums

The Internet is excellent for keeping your anonymity safe, so if you want to ask questions so embarrassing that you can’t bear the thought of asking anyone in person, use sexual health and women’s issues forums such as eHealthForum and Womens-Health.

You can connect with other Latina women through the comforting privacy of the Internet, helping you avoid embarrassment. Chances are, you’ll find someone who provides you with the help and support you need, even if it’s just encouragement to get yourself to a doctor.

Sexual Health Apps

Smartphones have access to thousands of apps, so it’s no surprise that there are countless apps concerning women’s sexual health available. Sexual Health Guide provides an entire resource book in the palm of your hand, available from Google Play. It educates you about sexual health news, types of STDs, where to get STD testing, safer sex instructions, common myths about sex, and sexual orientation support.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Triage puts up a wall of privacy between you and a doctor, while still giving you access to a doctor’s advice and insights. You send a picture about the area you’re concerned about, which gets sent to a dermatologist. They let you know within 24 hours what that rash may be, whether you need immediate medical attention, and the steps to take from here. The app, available from the iTunes Store, also provides general information about STDs, geolocated STD clinics, and other sexual health education.