A huge part of being a sexually active adult is being proactive about your sexual health. Here’s a list of health tests you should get as a sexually active woman. 

Genital tests

1. Pap smear

A Pap smear collects cells from your cervix to test for precancerous or cancerous cells. It is often conflated with the HPV test which specifically tests for the human papillomavirus virus in the cervix. However, both tests have the same purpose to detect abnormality in the cervix. It is recommended that women over 25 get a Pap smear every three years and for younger women who are sexually active, once a year. 

2. Pelvic exam 

Pelvic exams include an internal and external check of your pelvic organs for any symptoms or changes. This includes the vulva, vagina, cervix and uterus. Pelvic exams are especially recommended when you’re pregnant, experiencing abnormal discharge or bleeding or any other symptoms. Otherwise, pelvic exams can be conducted at the beginning of the year as a reassurance of your sexual and reproductive health. 

Blood tests

3. HIV tests 

Routine HIV screening should be conducted as often as possible depending on how many partners you have sex with. Medical experts recommend that sexually active people with multiple partners get tested every six months. 

4. Genital herpes 

Genital herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus. In women, symptoms may include pain, itching and sores around the vaginal area but sometimes, women do not show any symptoms. It has no known cure and as such prevention tactics like using protection, abstaining from sex and regular screening are encouraged to prevent infection. 

Urine tests

5. Gonorrhoea

Gonorrhoea is a common infectious disease transmitted through sexual intercourse. Oftentimes, it shows no symptoms in women so women with multiple partners should test frequently for gonorrhoea according to health experts. 

6. Chlamydia 

Chlamydia is another common sexually transmitted infection that may not cause any symptoms. It affects people of all ages but it is particularly common in young women. Sexually active women are encouraged to test for Chlamydia every year. 

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If you found out your younger sex was having sex, how would you react? We spoke to three Nigerian women about how they found out that their younger sisters were sexually active and how they reacted. Here’s what they had to say: 

IB, 24

One day, we were gisting and she said,  “You know I’m now having sex right?” The babe no even fear. Although I don’t see sex as a bad thing, I felt bad. I was scared of someone taking advantage of her. She was 19 at the time. 

I repeated all the things I had told her about sex — using protection and vagina health. It didn’t seem like I had anything to worry about because she sounded informed and that made me feel like I did something right, at least.

Now, she comes to me if she has questions or issues like discomfort during sex. 

Vanessa, 26 

My siblings and I have a close relationship, but my younger sister is closer to me. She tells me everything. She’s in university now, and I know she has a boyfriend. She tells me about their relationship issues, and I give her my two cents. 

The first time she had sex, she called me and was like, “Guess what?” I thought it was something else but she told me she just had sex. I felt heartbroken. Maybe because she is the last born. She is  20 years old, but I still see her as a baby. I had to pretend to share her joy because I didn’t want her to feel bad. 

She still calls me to tell me when she has bad sex, and my heart breaks every time. I don’t want my baby to grow up. 

Esi, 25

She was too scared to tell me, so she asked my flatmate to tell me. My flatmate gave her condoms and lube. One evening, when we were all gisting. My flatmate told me. I was shocked but I can’t say I wasn’t expecting it. I knew she had a boyfriend, and I know what I was up to at her age. I tried not to overthink it as my parents would. My flatmate and I spent the rest of the night talking to her about safe sex and since then, we stopped hiding our sexcapades from her. 

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