Sexual Health

Want a quick and easy way to get informed, protected, and tested for STIs?  If you have no symptoms, you can now schedule your appointment with our clinical staff online.  Simply log into your MyWesternHealth patient portal and click on “Appointments”.

Screening is available for the following STIs:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• HIV
• Syphilis

If you have symptoms (such as pain, urinary symptoms, abnormal discharge, rash, etc.), then you will need a diagnostic test, not a screening test, and you can call to schedule with a Student Health Center doctor or nurse practitioner for a medical evaluation.

Tips For Your STI Visit

Increasing STI rates make screening an important wellness tool for Western students.  Here are several tips for your STI visit:

• Window periods vary from test to test; if you test too early, you might not identify infection you’ve recently acquired. Talk to your clinician about which tests work for your circumstance.
• For urine chlamydia & gonorrhea testing, you should not urinate for one hour before the test.
• People with a uterus should get an annual chlamydia & gonorrhea screen through age 25.
• Some people benefit from more frequent screening.  Talk to your clinician about what’s recommended for you.
• Our lab service charges your insurance for the labs they run for you.  You may, alternatively, request to have the charges applied to your student account. 

All forms of prescription birth control are available at the Student Health Center.  In addition to the pill, patch, ring, Depo Provera, and condoms, we offer Nexplanon and IUD insertions.  These can also be removed should you prefer a different method.

New to Birth Control?

Your clinician will be happy to discuss what options could work for you.  Just call for an appointment.

Need A Prescription?

To get a prescription for birth control, please call (360) 650-3400 and ask for a “Contraceptive Consult.”  If you would like the implant or an IUD, request a “Pre-Nexplanon” or “Pre-IUD” consult.  If you have never had a pelvic exam and want an IUD, you can ask for this check at your pre-IUD consult.

For more information about your birth control options see:  https://www.bedsider.org/methods

Ella and Plan B 

Both Ella and generic Plan B are available at reduced cost at the Student Health Center.  Ella can be used up to five days after unprotected sex; Plan B, up to three days.  Ella works better than Plan B if your body mass index (BMI) is more than 25.

Copper IUD

The most effective emergency contraceptive, the copper IUD, can be used up to five days after unprotected sex.  If you have Kaiser WA insurance, the copper IUD could be an option at the Student Health Center.  Mount Baker Planned Parenthood also provides emergency contraception copper IUDs; call their clinic at (360) 734-9095 to check for available appointments.  Be specific that you need the IUD for emergency contraception.

For more information about Emergency Contraception see: https://www.bedsider.org/methods/emergency_contraception

PrEP (HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)

PrEP is available through the Student Health Center.  PrEP requires daily pill use and quarterly STI screens with your PrEP medical provider.  PrEP isn’t a stand-alone therapy:  regular condom use is still needed for other HIV and STI prevention.   In Washington State, access to PrEP is supported through the WA PrEP DAP program & Gilead’s co-pay card.  We can help you apply for these programs.  Please bring your current insurance card, photo ID, and proof of residence (out of state students can use their rental agreement or tuition bill) to your initial PrEP visit. 

More information on PrEP

PEP (HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis)

PEP is medication you take after you think you might have been exposed to HIV.  Treatment must start within 72 hours of the exposure, so timing is important. This therapy is also available at the Student Health Center.

See also CDC About PEP

We recommend annual exams to review birth control use, check your blood pressure, and to do age-appropriate screening.  We want your visit to us to comprehensive & comfortable.  Please share with us your pronouns and language you use to describe your body.  You are welcome to have an attendant in the exam room with you and your clinician. 

PAP Screening​​​​

If you have a uterus, you should schedule your first Pap test at age 21.  In the past, Pap testing was yearly.  Today, routine Pap testing is every 3-5 years depending on your age and previous Pap results.   If you are not due for a Pap test, then you may opt for a clothes-on consult.  Annual chlamydia and gonorrhea screening is the standard of care for all people with a uterus through age 25; this is to prevent chronic pelvic infection and infertility.

Because we are interested in your whole health, we welcome you to discuss questions about your body, sex, mood, and personal safety at your visit.

Your office visits, clinic communications, and fees charged by the Student Health Center are confidential.  This means we do not discuss your health or your treatments with other students, your parents, or other people not directly involved in your care without your permission.

When is My Confidentiality at Risk?

If you use your insurance for lab tests or for a pharmacy prescription (including the purchase of an IUD or Nexplanon if you have Kaiser), your confidentially may be compromised.  Many insurance companies send an “Explanation of Benefits” form (EOB) to the primary insurance holder (typically, a parent or a spouse) when they pay for services.  The EOB names the service provided and how it was covered. 

If you would like to use your insurance but are concerned about your confidentiality, you can write your insurance company to request that EOBs are sent to you for care related to reproduction, STIs, substance use disorders, and mental health services - or if you feel that disclosure to the insurance holder would put your safety at risk.

In your “non-disclosure” letter, include the following:

• Your name and address,
• Which information you would like protected,
• The names & descriptions of the types of people who cannot access your health information,
• Information re:  how you will cover co-pays & cost sharing, and
• Your phone number & email address should the insurance company need to contact you for clarification or additional information.