Scrotal Recall - How to Avoid Dating Disasters (and Spreading Chlamydia too)
With a name like Scrotal Recall, it's easy to write off Channel 4's latest Thursday night offering as a laddish comedy full of inappropriate banter. But don't let the title put you off. It was originally intended as a joke by the show's creator, Tom Edge, and the show is nowhere near as crude as the name suggests.
We've loved watching Dylan's trip down memory lane, revisiting all his exes and the inevitable cringeworthy moments along the way. As the series comes to an end tonight, we think there's a lot more to be learnt from Dylan other than how to avoid his dating disasters.
The situation Dylan finds himself in isn't that unusual. Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed STI in the UK, especially among 16-24 year olds, and it isn't that long after we saw a similar situation play out on The Secret Life of Students too.
Even though he makes the mistake of having unprotected sex, Dylan does do the right thing by getting tested and telling his past sexual partners. You don't have to go quite as far back as Dylan, usually if you test positive for chlamydia you'll be advised to contact partners from the last 6 months. If you don't feel up to contacting them yourself, the clinic can do this for you.
If do you get a positive diagnosis from a chlamydia test, or any other STI test for that matter, you'll probably just be thinking about yourself. Getting treated, setting reminders to get retested and making sure you leave with your paper bag full of condoms are definitely things you should do, however it's also important to let your past partners know too.
Let's say you're diagnosed with chlamydia like Dylan. If you don’t let your past partners know, they could also be carrying the STI and they might never know until they decide to get tested themselves. Chlamydia has no symptoms in 50% of men and 75% of women. A person might not think to get tested unless they have symptoms of an STI, and if they do have one they could unknowingly pass it on to others.
As well as spreading chlamydia without knowing, if undiagnosed and untreated it can lead to serious health problems. In women chlamydia can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) developing, which can cause infertility, chronic pelvic pain and an increased risk of ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages. If left untreated in men, chlamydia can cause Epididymitis which can cause inflammation and tenderness of the scrotum, and - you guessed it - infertility.
Chlamydia is easy to treat with antibiotics, however the serious health conditions it can cause in the long term might not be. If you get tested and it comes back positive, telling past partners gives them the chance to get the treatment they need and avoid serious health problems in future.
Think you need to get tested for chlamydia? You can head to your local clinic, where the staff are much nicer than Scrotal Recall would have you believe, or you can order a chlamydia test online to complete at home.