Move-in week brings new roommates, new class schedules and, for many students, new partners. Here’s an overview of what’s happening with sexually transmitted infection rates around Fort Collins, the resources CSU offers for testing and prevention and common misconceptions about transmission and testing.

According to Lucy Mulleavey, a program manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment‘s Office of STI/HIV and Viral Hepatitis, STI rates among 18-24 year olds in Colorado are trending down.

Mulleavey said there’s no single explanation for the decline.

“We’ve seen more awareness around STIs, better access to testing and treatment, and newer prevention tools like Doxy-PEP,” Mulleavey said, referring to an antibiotic some people can take after sex to help prevent certain bacterial infections.

Still, she cautioned against reading the numbers as the full picture.

“Many STIs are asymptomatic, meaning people can have an infection and not have any symptoms at all,” Mulleavey said. “Because our numbers depend heavily on people actually getting tested, fewer reported cases doesn’t always mean fewer infections are happening.”

Mulleavey also pushed back on the assumption that a new partner, or a lack of symptoms, means testing can wait.

“Talk openly with your partners about testing and sexual health and take advantage of prevention tools,” she said, pointing to prevention tools like the HPV vaccine and PrEP, a medication for people who don’t have HIV that significantly lowers the chance of contracting it. For some people, Doxy PEP may help prevent certain bacterial STIs as well, she said: “STIs are common, and getting tested and knowing your status is just part of taking care of yourself and your partners.”

Testing for CSU students is often more accessible than many would assume. The CSU Health Network holds a Get Yourself Tested program a handful of times a year with urine-based chlamydia and gonorrhea testing — no swabbing and no appointment needed — for $29.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are both common bacterial infections that can be treated with antibiotics once diagnosed through testing. Testing takes place at the second-floor lab at the CSU Health and Medical Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on scheduled GYT dates. Results are posted to the student portal within days.

Outside of GYT dates, students aren’t left without options. CSU Health and Medical Center operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and is closed weekends and CSU holidays. There is a 24/7 nurse helpline available for after-hours questions that may come up outside of a normal appointment window. Sexual and reproductive health, LGBTQ+ inclusive care and lab appointments can be scheduled with the CSU Health Network.

Interested students can also find support with the LGBTQ+ Care Team, which is based in medical services on the second floor, and CSU students will be seen regardless of their insurance status. Students who’d rather not visit a clinic in person can also use Colorado’s free at-home STI testing program, which Mulleavey said is available statewide.

None of it works if students don’t know it exists, which is why access — not just availability — is the point Mulleavey keeps coming back to. That access is central to the department’s approach, she said. 

“A lot of our work is really about making prevention, testing and treatment easier for people to access,” she said, pointing to the at-home program alongside community testing, PrEP and Doxy PEP connections as well as low-cost treatment options.

The department also offers anonymous partner notification, which allows someone to alert a partner about exposure without having a direct conversation.

If a test comes back positive, Mulleavey said the priority is getting treated quickly.

“STIs are really common, most are curable and all are treatable or manageable,” Mulleavey said.

Notifying partners matters just as much, she added, so they can get tested and treated, too. 

“We are here to help you and your partners get connected to testing and treatment resources,” Mulleavey said.