How To Spot an STI

Have you ever wondered how doctors and other healthcare providers figure out what’s going on with you? This picture shows an example of some of the detective work we might get up to!

When people come in concerned about their vaginal discharge, their healthcare provider might take a sample of it to examine under a microscope at the clinic.

In blue is an example of an epithelial cell, the cells that line the vaginal canal and are regularly shed and re-grown (like all skin or mucus membrane tissue). In other words, very normal to see in a vaginal sample.

In red are the uh-ohs: polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), a kind of white blood cell (WBC). Seeing a few here and there might not mean anything, but seeing A LOT of them like in this sample means the immune system is responding to an infection in the area. Commonly, this means an STI, or sexually transmitted infection.

What questions do you have about STIs? We’d love to know!