World Sexual Health Day 2025: US Sees Drop in Sexual Health Testing

Explore the importance of sexual health for well-being, rights, and access to education and healthcare.

On World Sexual Health Day (WSHD), observed annually on September 4, the focus is on “Sexual Justice: What Can We Do?” — highlighting sexual health and reproductive rights, freedom from stigma, and access to accurate, uncensored information about sexuality and health ().

World Sexual Health Day is an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s Special Programme in Human Reproduction (HRP).

Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacterium/superbug called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is spread during sexual intercourse- vaginal, oral, and anal.

TOP INSIGHT

It's World #SexualHealthDay! Today's theme, "#SexualJustice: What Can We Do?", reminds us that everyone deserves the right to health, pleasure, and dignity, free from stigma and discrimination. Let's work together to create a more just and equitable world. #WSHD2025 #SexualHealth

This year's theme emphasizes the need for equitable access to sexual health services, education, and the elimination of stigma and discrimination.

Sexual Injustice: New Insights

Sexual justice is achieved when everyone has the knowledge, resources, and autonomy to make informed, healthy choices about their bodies, sexuality, and reproduction. It ensures equal access to sexual health services, education, and care, creating a world where all people can enjoy sexual health, rights, and pleasure without facing discrimination, violence, or exclusion.

This year, WSHD highlights four focus areas under sexual justice:

Sexual Rights – Ensuring sexual health, rights, and pleasure for all without discrimination or stigma.
Sexual and Reproductive Rights – Protecting bodily autonomy and reproductive choice for everyone.
LGBTQ+ Adolescents – Affirming the rights, dignity, and identities of trans, non-binary, gay, and lesbian youth.
Access to Information – Providing accurate, evidence-based, and uncensored sexual health information.

According to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, sexual health testing in US hospitals has seen a decline in the first half of 2025. Comparing H1 2024 to H1 2025, sales volume dropped by 1.0%, a smaller decrease than the 3.3% decline recorded between H1 2023 and H1 2024. However, this comes after a notable 21.2% growth in testing from 2022 to 2023.

Chlamydia Test
Screening for chlamydial infection is recommended in women at high-risk for developing the infection.

US Hospital Data Shows Decline in Key Sexual Health Tests

GlobalData’s Sexual Health Tests Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) Tracker, which monitors purchase records from 4,350 US hospitals, highlights decreases in popular tests. Chlamydia and gonorrhoeae (CT/NG) dual tests fell 1.7% from H1 2024 to H1 2025, while bacterial vaginosis tests saw a significant 27.8% decline.

Selena Yu, Senior Medical Analyst at GlobalData, noted: "The decrease in sales could reflect not only declining cases but also cuts in funding for sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing programs, including Planned Parenthood and organizations serving marginalized communities, along with declines in safe sex education. The SKU tracker mainly captures hospital and distribution sales, so actual declines in clinics may be even more pronounced."

The CDC reported 2,459,140 cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia in the US in 2023 — a 1.8% decrease from 2022, yet a 32.5% rise since 2014.

STIs disproportionately affect young adults aged 15-24, men who have sex with men, and Black and Indigenous communities. Experts stress that equality in sexual and reproductive care is essential for improving national sexual health.

Marginalized communities face higher STI prevalence due to stigma, lack of sex education, and limited resources. Funding cuts to essential health services exacerbate vulnerabilities, leaving these populations at greater risk.

Yu added: "The steady decline in sexual health testing is influenced by several factors, including previous budget cuts to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, defunding of Planned Parenthood, and the COVID-19 rebound spike in 2022-2023. Regardless, STI screening remains critical to prevent serious complications such as infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, cancer, and HIV/AIDS."

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