Should I use the NHS instead?
For most of this, yes — and we will tell you so. NHS sexual health services are free, expert, take self-referrals, and do things we cannot: coils and implants, PrEP, PEP, partner notification.
What we offer is privacy and speed. That is worth something to some people and nothing to others, and it is worth being clear which you are buying.
Will any of this go on my NHS record?
Only if you agree to it. Nothing is shared without your explicit consent, and declining does not affect your care.
Sexual health is the commonest thing people ask us to keep separate, and that is an entirely reasonable request.
I have no symptoms. Do I need testing?
Yes — and that is the whole point. Most STIs cause no symptoms at all, and chlamydia in particular is usually silent while being the commonest preventable cause of infertility in the UK.
Test after a new partner, or if a partner is diagnosed, regardless of how you feel.
I think I may have been exposed to HIV.
If it was within the last 72 hours, go to A&E or a sexual health clinic now. PEP is free, it is effective, and the window is short — sooner is substantially better than later.
Do not book an appointment to discuss it. Go.
Can I get PrEP from you?
No — and you should not pay for it. PrEP is free on the NHS through sexual health services, and it comes with the kidney and HIV monitoring that makes it safe.
It is highly effective and under-claimed. If you are at higher risk, it is worth asking about.
Can you fit a coil or implant?
No — those need someone in the room, so we refer. NHS sexual health services provide them free.
They are also more effective than the pill in real-world use, because they do not depend on remembering anything.
I need emergency contraception.
Act today, and check the free routes first — free at many pharmacies, at sexual health clinics and at some walk-in centres.
Levonorgestrel works up to 72 hours; ulipristal up to 120; the copper coil is by far the most effective and works up to 5 days. Weight matters — a higher dose may be needed above about 70kg.
Is erectile dysfunction just a sexual problem?
Frequently not — and this is why buying tablets online without assessment is a bad idea.
ED is often the first sign of cardiovascular disease, appearing three to five years before anything else, and it is a recognised early presentation of type 2 diabetes. Treating the symptom without asking why loses the warning.
The other reason: nitrates and nicorandil are an absolute contraindication, and the combination can be fatal.
I keep getting thrush and the treatment never works.
It may not be thrush. Bacterial vaginosis — thin grey discharge with a fishy odour — needs an antibiotic, and antifungals will not touch it.
Recurrent genuine thrush also warrants checking blood sugar, since it can be the first sign of diabetes. And lichen sclerosus is frequently mistaken for it, needs a steroid rather than an antifungal, and carries a small cancer risk untreated.
I have herpes and it keeps recurring.
Suppressive treatment — a daily low dose — is standard for six or more recurrences a year, and it is markedly under-offered.
It reduces outbreaks substantially and reduces transmission to a partner. For people whose life is organised around recurrences, it is transformative.
Sex is painful. Is that something to mention?
Yes — it is common, under-reported, and treatable. Causes include vaginal dryness after the menopause, thrush, skin conditions, endometriosis, pelvic floor problems and anxiety.
After the menopause, vaginal oestrogen is highly effective and markedly under-prescribed. Nobody should accept painful sex as inevitable.