Sexually-transmitted diseases aren't something most people like to talk about. I'm sure we heard plenty of rumors in high school about who had what, but aside from that STDs aren't exactly normal dinnertime conversation. Just because they aren't pleasant to talk about, however, doesn't mean that we shouldn't. Like most of the high-school rumors, there are a lot of things that go around about sexually-transmitted diseases that simply aren't true. In the interest of your health, here are six of the most common myths and the facts that go along with them.
1) You can tell if someone has an STD by looking at them.
Fact: Unless someone wears their status as a tattoo on their forehead or a slogan on a T-shirt, you can't tell by looking at someone if they have an STD. Besides, it's possible for someone to have an STD for years and not know it. The only way to tell for sure if a partner or potential partner has an STD is through a test. Period.
2) STDs only happen to 'dirty' people.
Fact: STDs don't discriminate. They can happen to nice people, rude people, men, women, people who sleep around and people who don't-all that has to happen is for someone to sleep with a person with an infection and be unlucky enough to contract it. It can happen to anyone.
It's cruel and judgmental to make assumptions about someone's character based on whether or not they have an STD. It's not their 'fault'-They could have been raped; they could have slept with someone who knew they had something and didn't tell them (like with a friend of mine); they could have been cheated on; they could have gotten it from a long-term partner who didn't know they had an infection. You just *don't know*, so don't assume.
3) My doctor would have told me if I had an STD.
Fact-Not necessarily. Like I said above, it's very possible for someone to have an STD and not know it because they are either a) asymptomatic, or b) have symptoms that also present in other conditions. Gonorrhea, for instance, is sometimes misdiagnosed as a bladder infection.
Plus, there isn't any single test that can detect all STDs. Doctors have a lot of strict protocols they have to follow when it comes to STD testing, so it's not something most do without being directly asked for it and/or if a patient doesn't fall into a high-risk group.
Contrary to popular belief, pap smears do not test for STDs.
4) You can't get an STD from oral sex.
Fact-Yes, you can. It's less likely to get HIV from oral sex, but you can still get things like herpes, gonorrhea and syphilis. This is especially true if a person has bleeding gums or any kind of mouth sore.
Also, it doesn't matter whether a man climaxes during oral sex or not; pre-ejaculatory fluid can still contain traces of an illness. Use a condom or dental dam.
5) Lesbians don't have to worry about STDs because they don't have 'penetrative' sex.
Fact-While the risk of STDs is lower with lesbian sex than with gay or heterosexual sex, the risk is still there. It's possible for conditions such as herpes to spread through skin-to-skin contact with an active sore, such as oral sex or areas with any kind of cut or rash.
6) The Pill can protect against STDs.
Fact-Birth control pills prevent pregnancy, not STDs. The same goes for IUDs, NuvaRing and Depo-Provera shots. None of these forms of birth control has any effect on STDs. Barrier methods such as condoms are the only artificial forms of birth control that protect against STDs.
For more information about STDs, check out http://std.about.com/od/riskfactorsforstds/tp/Ten-Common-Std-Risk-Myths.htm.
Stay safe, everyone.
