your clinic experiences

Wondering what to expect from a visit to a sexual health or GUM (genito-urinary medicine) clinic? Many people feel nervous about their first visit, mostly because they're not sure what's going to happen when they get there – How will you be treated? Is it confidential? Will it hurt? How will you get your results? What happens if you've got something?

© C4

Several of you have written in about your own clinic experiences to tell us what it was like. We've published a range of stories here – some positive, others less so – but the overwhelming message was that, despite the embarrassment factor and occasional discomfort, it's well worth the visit.

1. Louise, 19, decided to go to a clinic with her boyfriend for a full screening so they could stop using condoms.
2. Charis, 21, discovered she had chlamydia after a check-up at a clinic. She reckons it's worth going to get yourself checked out.
3. James, 24, went on Valentine's Day with his girlfriend. He found the whole experience quite emotional and surreal, but was relieved when it was all over.
4. Kelly, 18, was worried she might have something but didn't want to go to her GP, so looked up her local clinic for a test.
5. Danny, 19, wanted to check that he was clear of infections before furthering a relationship, but found the whole clinic experience less than positive.
6. Chris, 20, went for an HIV test after a worrying phone call from an ex.
7. Katy, 16, discovered she had genital warts so went to a clinic to get them treated, but she found out they weren't the only things she'd caught.
8. Liss, 18, was also worried that she had genital warts so went to her local sexual health clinic to get herself checked out.

Louise

'No one should ever be afraid to visit a GUM clinic. My boyfriend and I decided that we wanted to stop using condoms after being together for a year. I phoned my local clinic and got an appointment for a week later. I was incredibly nervous and when we got there I was actually shaking with fear. My partner had to wait in a separate room because men and women are treated separately. But as soon as my name was called out, the nurse put me at my ease immediately. I had to see both a doctor and a nurse and sign various consent forms. They assess the level of risk you have of carrying different infections.

Both my boyfriend and I decided to have full screenings. The tests took about 15 minutes in total. And I can honestly say to all the girls out there that the vaginal examination is not painful! It just feels a little strange. I didn't like the blood test but that's only because I hate needles. After the tests I made an appointment to go back to the clinic a week later to get the results. I must admit that the waiting is far worse that the tests themselves. I was terrified that I would have something incurable.

On my return appointment I didn't have to wait long for my name to be called, which was good because the fear was overwhelming but I was thrilled to be given the all clear. In fact I was so thrilled that I asked the nurse if I could give her a hug! My boyfriend got the all clear as well and we feel that the experience has bought us closer together. We now have total peace of mind and can thoroughly enjoy our sex life.

The staff at the GUM clinic were fantastic, their work is very important and they deserve nothing but praise. I would urge everyone to get tested because it's always better to get illness diagnosed and to receive treatment. The staff do not judge you and whatever the outcome may be you will get the help you need to get on with your life.'

Charis

'I'm 21 and last year, I decided to go for an STI test even though I'd had only had two sexual partners. I knew both guys I slept with had had quite a few other sexual partners so I went to put my mind at rest. I asked my doctor for advice and she gave me the number of my nearest GUM clinic. An appointment was easy to get and they managed to fit me in within a week.

When I got to the clinic, they were really friendly and there were so many other people my own age there, which made me realise STIs are more common than we realise. My doctor was female which made me feel more comfortable. You can ask to have a male or female doctor if you prefer to be tested by someone of the same sex as you. The doctor asked me a few questions such as: 'How many sexual partners have you had?' and "Have you had any symptoms?" I had the option of having a smear test and an AIDS test.

I had to give a urine sample first and then the doctor took a swab from my cervix, which feels like a short pinch, but is relatively painless and is over within 2 seconds. They asked me to phone the clinic in a week and they would give me my results over the phone.

It turned out I did have chlamydia and I went back to the clinic where they prescribed me with a course of antibiotics for 7 days. The health advisor was really friendly and I didn't feel uncomfortable talking to him. He told me that another symptom of chlamydia is eye infections, which I had recently been suffering from. He stressed how important it is to use condoms even if you are on the contraceptive pill as it prevents sexually transmitted diseases and infections which, if left untreated can cause more serious problems such as infertility.

So my advice to anyone who is worried they may have an STI, is go and get yourself checked out. It will be a weight off your shoulders and they are easily treated!'

James

'I went to a GUM clinic earlier this year. My now ex-girlfriend had decided it would be a good idea to go on Valentines Day (very romantic!). Although I was petrified at the thought of going, as I had never been before, it was made very easy for us.

The appointment was booked two weeks before attending and information pamphlets were handed out at the time when the appointment was made. The day itself, as you can imagine was emotionally charged. On one hand I felt as if someone was about to take my life away and on the other, it felt as though it was about to be given back.

After about 20 minutes I was called by a female doctor to go in (it's worth mentioning that I was able to request the sex of the doctor if I had so wished). The first stage was the risk assessment and establishing which tests I would like to have (I opted for all). I was asked a series of questions like – had I had sex with anyone from outside the UK, had I ever had unprotected gay sex, did I ever inject drugs etc. I was then advised of my risk level, which I am happy to report was low. This put my mind at ease for the next stage. I was guided into a small room by the doctor and asked to drop my trousers and under garments and then hop onto a hospital bed they had in the corner. In all honesty, this wasn't as bad as you may think. The atmosphere was relaxed but professional and I could tell that I wasn't about to show them anything they hadn't seen before. If anything I was a little disappointed my undressing didn't create more of a reaction (a disbelieving gasp by the female nurse would have been nice!)

It was at this point that the doctor pulled a charming utensil that I can only describe as a long, thin spoon-like instrument. I must admit that I became a little anxious at this point. I will not bore you with the details of what came next, but for the guys reading this I can assure you it was not 'inserted' anywhere. As soon as the first test (for gonorrhoea and syphilis) had been completed it was then time for the urine samples. My task was simple: fill two beakers full of urine. This may sound hard but it's surprisingly easy. Once I'd filled the beakers I handed them back to the doctor with a large smile and a strange feeling of achievement.

If you think this is strange, then you are not alone. The whole situation is very surreal. I am not used to being asked such frank questions and then exposing myself to women (not in a medical context anyway!) The final part of the testing is the part that I'm sure people dread the most: giving blood! I have not had my blood taken for some time, so I could not remember what the sensation of having a needle stuck in me was like, although I was sure it was not going to be pleasant.

Following the nurse's instructions I sat down on a chair where a tourniquet was tied around my arm. Once the tourniquet had been applied for long enough a fresh needle was removed from its packaging and inserted into a vein in my right arm. I was right – the sensation was not pleasant but it was nowhere near as bad as I had imagined.

And that was it. After another 10-minute wait in reception I received the good news that I was gonorrhoea- and syphilis-free (phew!). In the pre-test interview I had opted for my other test results, which take a little longer, to be sent to me by post. After I left the clinic I immediately felt that I'd done the right thing. Although I was petrified that I would receive a letter or phone call telling me that I was HIV positive, I just wanted to know one way or the other. I could finally put my demons to rest or be forced to confront them once and for all.

The following two weeks seemed to crawl by but eventually I received my letter. I opened it with hands trembling but after reading the letter four times I was glad to receive the news that I was STD free.'

Kelly

'I looked up the number of my local clinic in the yellow pages because I was worried I had something and didn't want to visit my GP. I rang up and the lady was fairly helpful and made me an appointment for a few weeks on. She didn't ask any embarrassing or intrusive questions on the phone, in fact I made the appointment at work!

I went on my own, mainly because I was the first of my friends to go to a clinic and wanted to do it alone. The staff were ok, the receptionist could have been nicer, but then most receptionists can seem a bit moody!! (I'm a receptionist too!)

The nurse and doctor that saw me were both lovely, made me feel very relaxed and took my mind off what was going on by talking about the travelling I would be doing soon. The doctor asked me when my last period was, when I last had sex, if we used a condom, and what I wanted to be tested for – I opted for everything to be on the safe side. They offered the counselling service at the end, but I didn't feel I needed to use this.

The test was nowhere near as bad as I'd imagined. I had to sit up on a chair with stirrups – a little undignified, but they covered my lower half with a towel. It didn't hurt, it just felt a bid weird, but there was no pain. Thank God! I had to wait a week for the results, and rang up to get them. I was very lucky and hadn't caught anything so I was very relieved. But I would most definitely go again if I had any worries! I mean what's 5 minutes' embarrassment compared to a lifetime knowing you can't have kids, or you've given the love of your life HIV? I know which one I'd prefer!'

Danny

'I went to a clinic to check I was clear before furthering a relationship. I have to say it was a most horrible experience and made me feel dirty. The clinic is situated behind the hospital at the back of a car park. You're advised to get there before it opens, but in that time you're waiting outside in the car park as scores of commuters walk past.

The experience started with me being asked personal questions in front of other patients. I was then moved from one seated area to another as I slowly progressed up the queue. After a consultation with a doctor, I was sent down a corridor to a nurse who gave me two plastic cups and then asked me to urinate in them in the public toilet. The toilet was situated near the waiting room and so I felt that everyone could see as I and others entered the toilet with our cups. Then, once the cups were full, I had to try to open the door with both hands full and walk back to the nurse's room past other patients.

My experience really appalled me when these clinics should be promoting themselves, making more people want to get checked. It seems that rather than promoting safe sex and routine checks, it was set up with an attitude that "you caused the problem yourself so tough".

I certainly wouldn't want to go back, which is pretty sad when the service is important. It's safe to say that any other visit to a hospital would not be anything like this.'

Chris

'I am a 20-year-old gay man who was in a relationship last year that ended badly. A couple of weeks later my partner rang me and said, "seeing as you have slept with me, you might wanna get yourself checked out for HIV".

A couple of days after that phone call my key worker got in touch with a local project called 4men aimed at supporting gay men in my local area. I received a call the same day from a nurse who explained what would happen clearly and said that if I had any questions then I should just ask whenever I needed to. She gave her mobile number should I have any worries. When I arrived at the clinic I was treated with respect and no prejudice or judgement was passed on me. I found all the staff kind and courteous and they were all happy to answer any questions or deal with any worries I had, which put me a lot more at ease with the whole ordeal.'

Katy

'I'm 16 and now in a long-term relationship of 11 months. But before meeting my boyfriend I wasn't exactly perfect. At the age of 14 I noticed small pinkish lumps on my genital area, I knew what they were straight away so I got an appointment with my GP to make sure. I was right, I had caught a sexually transmitted infection - genital warts. I was devastated. I cried and cried which resulted in my totally avoiding school. I called the GUM clinic who said they couldn't get me an appointment for 2 months. I waited a week but I was starting to get severely down, I couldn't stand the sight of them. Having warts really made me feel dirty, I just wanted rid of them.

Later on I got so depressed I tried to cut them off but my mother caught me and stopped me. She then rang the GUM clinic again and they got me an appointment for the next day. When I went they were really nice and I really felt at ease because the male and female rooms were totally separate. I explained what was the matter and they treated them with a freeze spray. It didn't really hurt, it was just a little uncomfortable. Afterwards they took a test and that didn't hurt at all. They told me the warts should clear up and asked me to come back in two weeks.

The warts did clear up but I was asked to come back as another test had come back positive. I was totally gutted. I went back to find I had chlamydia and just broke down in tears as I always said to myself "it will never happen to me". They give me some antibiotics and I didn't have to go back. In a way I was glad I caught warts as I would never of found out I had chlamydia and it could have resulted in me being unable to have children and that would have killed me. Two years later I have only slept with my boyfriend who I love a lot and I would never go back to the old me. Catching something like this really changed me. If anyone thinks they might have something I advise you to get checked out straight away because it could really damage you.'

Liss

'Last year I went for my first cervical smear test at my local GP. While there the nurse told me that I had what looked like genital warts, and she made an appointment for me to go to the local sexual health clinic. I felt so dirty, and thought that everyone in the world knew I was infected with warts. I'm not a slag, I've only been with one sexual partner and we are still together after four years.

I was devastated but I told my partner that he would have to get checked out too. He got an appointment at the same time as me (with a different doctor though!) and we went together. I grilled him for ages as I thought that he had cheated on me. Anyway, the clinic staff were really nice and reassuring (I was 17) and told me that the information I gave them was confidential. They put my mind at ease as they didn't judge me. I went into a room with a doctor who asked me about my medical history, then I was led into another room and a female nurse asked me to take off my trousers and underwear. She was reassuring and held my hand while the doctor asked my permission to test me for chlamydia, HIV and a host of other STIs.

I think that the worst thing about going into that kind of clinic is you feel like a total slapper and you think that people are going to judge you, but they're just doing their job and they made me feel at ease. Also, because I thought I had a problem and had gone to sort it out, they treat you like a mature adult not a kid. I was embarrassed to be on a chair with my legs wide apart while a doctor examined my most intimate areas, but what do you value more? Your health or saving yourself from a bit of embarrassment? The sorest thing was the chlamydia test. The swab they use is really long and thin and they stick that up your urethra (pee hole). That was painful. I went to the toilet afterwards and thought I was peeing glass, plus there was some blood, but that cleared up after a few days. My man didn't find his test sore at all. I got a number to phone for my results, and was told to phone back in a week. I also got a unique ID number so my results were completely confidential. It turned out that there really was no need to go to the clinic as my warts turned out to be bits of skin. Better safe than sorry though!'

help and info

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.

You can find your nearest clinic at www.ssha.info/public/clinics/locations.asp or www.multimap.com/clients/places.cgi?client=fpa2. Or have a look in your local phone directory under 'Health Centres' or 'Clinics'.

Our feature on what happens at a sexual health clinic will give you more information about what to expect. If you're still worried, the Sexual Health Line on 0800 567 123 gives confidential advice and information about STIs or any other aspect of sexual health. It can also tell you where to find local sexual health services. Lines are open 24 hours.

(updated February 2005)