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If we are going to look at all the options then the most successful way to avoid catching chlamydia is to not have sex at all – known as abstinence. This is because unless they have been tested at the right times then you can’t know if your partners are infected or not. I appreciate that this is not necessarily the most desirable way to go about things and so the next most important thing you can do is to always use a condom when having sex. Use condoms for all types of sexual contact, even if penetration does not take place. Condoms work by stopping blood, semen and vaginal fluid, which can all contain chlamydia or other STIs, from passing from one person to another. Don’t rely on your partner to have condoms – there is no shame in carrying your own and shows you care about your own health.

Remember that most methods of birth control won’t protect you from chlamydia and other STIs. The contraceptive pill, injections, implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs), diaphragms, and spermicides will not protect you from infections and so you will still need to use condoms. Most ways to prevent catching infections work best when used together. No single strategy can protect you from every type of STI.

There are lots of urban myths about how to avoid catching infections, like washing your genitals before sex, peeing straight after sex, douching after sex, or washing your genitals with vinegar after sex. If you think any of these are useful then think again – none will work.

On top of all these things it is vital that you get tested regularly, especially if you have several partners. The best way is to have a full check up every 6 months or so at a specialised sexual health clinic, but free Chlamydia testing is now available online from freetest.me and I strongly recommend that you get it done. It’s easy, involving either taking a vaginal swab for women, or giving a pee sample for men. The results are quick and accurate and the treatment is also very simple should your result come back positive.

Remember that in many cases chlamydia causes no symptoms and so you may have no idea that you are infected. The damage it can cause if left is considerable and irreversible in many cases. Don’t let it get you.

So – here’s the second part to my story...

After testing positive and being treated for Chlamydia, I’d learned my lesson.

I was good and safe up until I hit a bad patch of my life - family dramas, school dramas, getting into trouble... I almost lost respect for myself and didn't care much about consequences. As a result I started to sleep around, and without protection.

Looking back, there was really no excuse for not having safe sex, but my mind didn’t care. I remember the one night in particular I pulled, lucky me! I recall my mates warned me to be safe (hmm, maybe they knew something I didn’t), I ignored their advice and slept with her without a condom. Mistake.

There I was, at 18, off down to the clinic for a test. However this time was different, I was older, wiser and really, should have known better than to be in this situation again. The results – I tested positive for Chlamydia.

That day it really hit home for me, and I’ve been safe ever since. We all make mistakes but it’s how you deal with those mistakes that matters. Chlamydia is serious, spreading and silent. You can’t tell if anyone you’ve slept with has it – they’d likely not know themselves. You could have caught it from that one night stand a year ago, and be passing it on now without knowing!

And importantly, if you have it for a long time, if you are infected multiple times like I was, and don’t find and get treated it can be really serious – in fact, it’s one of the most common easily preventable cause of infertility.

So guys and girls - if in doubt – or even if not - please "SAY YES TO THE TEST". Visit www.freetest.me now to see if you can get a quick, easy and free postal test for Chlamydia.

February means Valentine’s Day is on the horizon – chocolates and flowers may be on the cards but there is a present that you definitely don’t want: Chlamydia!

Amazingly this period is often busiest in STI clinics and can be a time when relationships are sorely tested – with evidence on infidelity popping up unexpectedly in the form of flowers and cards in the post from unexpected sources!

And this is really where the guys come in - chlamydia, as I have mentioned before, may cause no symptoms at all in men, or it can cause some discomfort when peeing and even cause a discharge to occur, but these symptoms are often ignored by many blokes. If it is not detected and treated we are sure that chlamydia can cause long-term problems like inflammation to the fine tubes that take sperm from the testicles to the penis. There is some evidence that it may eventually block these tubes with scar tissue. This means that although you will still be able to produce semen there will be no sperm in it as they will be unable to get out of the testicles.

Infection in the testicles and these tubes is called epididymitis, and is important because of the risks to male fertility. Some research suggests the possibility that chlamydia can cause the body to make antibodies against it but which can then attack sperm, causing a reduced sperm count and problems with their mobility. This will then seriously affect their ability to successfully fertilise an egg. We are still looking into this but the bottom line is very clear: if you don't get treated you are putting not only yourself but also your partner at risk of infertility. It’s a shame that this is not well known, and much more attention is given to the problems chlamydia causes in women but these male issues could be just as important.

If you suspect there have been more than two people in your relationship then it is really important to go for a chlamydia test – as a naïve belief in a monogamous relationship that isn’t can lead to troubles with infections later on.

Why not use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to show how much you care for each other and both get properly tested? Free postal tests for Chlamydia are available from freetest.me.