questions about stds

[hollymarie1122]

I agree with the very very unlikley

 

[Sascha Fitzpatrick]

Although not an 'STD', I do know a lot of people who think they are completely safe from sexual disease things/cervical cancer, etc cos they've been abstinent til marriage, and their hubbies have been too.

Then, they tend to not do things that those who may have been sexually active before (and have been told how to take care of themselves - Christians are the MOST illinformed subgroup about sexual behaviour, I've found) would have, and end up with the herpes simplex virus, abnormal cells, thrush and urinary tract infections.

This is something I find sad about Christian culture. A lot of people still regard sex as 'taboo conversations' and then find themselves completely ill informed about how to take care of yourself after sex, and end up with things like herpes simplex, thrush, UTI's etc...

so, here's some tips:

1. If you have a cold sore, do not kiss your partner, or engage in oral-genital interactions.

2. Have pap smears (if you're a woman!). Just because you didn't have sex before you were married, doesn't mean you are immune from cervical cell changes. ALWAYS have one done every year (or two years in Australia, according to the law). I've had some reproductive issues, so will have to have a checkup every 6 months or so - and although not a virgin now, have been monogamous, and am not having sex now - and these problems cropped up YEARS after my last sexual experience. This is something I strongly urge - the amount of times I've heard a Christian couple say 'oh she doesn't need one, cos we have only been with each other!'

3. Women - if you have sex, go to the toilet reasonably soon after intercourse has stopped. The flora from sperm is 'different' from the flora in your vagina, and can often lead to a Urinary Tract Infection. I know some women who weren't aware of this, went on their honeymoons and couldn't understand how they could have got a UTI - when they did the right thing! Seriously, monogamy and abstinence til marriage does not stop a UTI!!

4. Regardless of your sexual experience/lack before marriage, physicals should always been maintained. If something feels 'wrong' down there, get it checked out - just to relieve your mind.

Sexual Infections ARE rare when you have been abstinent til marriage, but there is still a small population out there who waited til marriage, and have found themselves carriers of certain diseases afterwards. Maintain your checkups with your physician, and let them know if you feel uncertain about things - even if it turns out to be nothing, it's better to be informed than not.

Sex is not a dirty thing to be informed about - whether you're married or not. Not knowing certain things about Sexual Health before marriage causes FAR more problems, than being informed does!

Ok, I'm off my soapbox now! LOL - it just frustrates me when Christians are SO ill-informed about sexual behaviours and health... I don't see why it has to be kept all taboo and secretive, where simple information could save a lot of pain and frustration!

Sasch

 

[gracefaith]

ALWAYS have one done every year (or two years in Australia, according to the law).

Out of curiosity, "according to law?" The government requires you to go every two years?

 

[Sascha Fitzpatrick]

arg... trust me to say something dumb when I'm still waking up...

It is STRONGLY recommended that you go every two years... in Australia, when you go for your FIRST PS, you then get put on a registry of women undergoing Pap Smears. When the two year mark comes, you get a reminder letter, and I got another one after that (two months later), when I'd just had one a week before, so I'm not sure how many reminder letters you get before they give up reminding you!

Your doctor is also required to ring and remind you about it - I got a phonecall from mine, and she told me, but I had informed her that because I now work in a hospital, I'm having them done there, and have been referred onto a gynecologist now due to some 'issues', so will be seeing him from now on about my reproductive health.

Doctors have a legal requirement over here (from what I've heard) to ensure their female patients continue to have a pap smear after their first one. They are required to ask all female patients when coming for BC about their pap smear/physical history etc... and most doctors I've gone to in the past have also done a brief physical (and, if necessary my pap smear), when I've asked for another BC prescription... I think that if my doctor DIDN'T suggest checking my Blood Pressure and doing an exam, I'd probably be asking for another doctor! There are a lot of links between birth control and blood pressure, so if they were going to prescribe something, and didn't do that first - I'd be demanding they did (and then go to another doctor!)...

Sasch

 

[sculpturegirl]

Heres another thought to throw out there. I had vaginal thrush and gave it to my husband. He became very upset with me thinking that I had STD. So thrush is one of those things that can be STD related but it doesnt always start as STD

Thrush is a form of yeast infection caused by Candida Albicans. It can cause a breakout in the throat as well as the genital regions. It doesn't have to start out as an STD, but can spread through bodily contact. I think it is like any communicable disease. If you have chicken pox and have sex, there is a huge chance that your partner will also get chicken pox- not because it is an STD, but because of the close contact! Yeast infections can be passed back and forth, so be careful!! And men can, too, have symptoms. They can get a skin rash or a yeast infection can express itself as "jock itch." Plus, a nursing mother can pass it to her infant. Best thing to do is treat it systemically. Check out: http://www.renewlife.com/indexflash.html (Don't worry, I don't work for them or anything. I have had my own battle with candida and respect their products and information.)

 

[Svt4Him]

I agree with the very very unlikley

Again not true. You can get crabs by using a public toilet. Ever use a public toilet?

 

[WolfGate]

Again not true. You can get crabs by using a public toilet. Ever use a public toilet?

FWIW, I think crabs are a parasite and not a disease. Probably semantics, but given the OP, I think that's relavent.

 

[Svt4Him]

http://www.stdservices.on.net/std/Default.htm#CRABS

 

[Henaynei]

pubic lice (aka crabs), like their cousins head lice - must eat frequently - they do NOT live off of the human body and will die if off the body for 24 hours - they don't live on other animals - they don't live on toilet seats - if a toilet seat is so groody that you can't see if something is crawling on it (and the'd rapidly fall off as they have feet engineered for climbing through hair, not holding on to hard surfaces - and generally speaking, the hairy part of one's anatomy is not touching the toilet seat) you should not be sitting on it anyway!

Trust me, I make a living dealing with lice

 

[Svt4Him]

Can you get pubic lice without sexual contact? Yes you can, and it is classified as a STD. So that goes back to the OP on whether you can get STD's without sex, and yes you can.

 

[Henaynei]

yes, if you wear someone else's clothing who has lice, or sleep in a bed of someone who has lice - it has to be something that came in contact with the pubic area of someone with pubic lice BUT if the item has not had anyone on or in it for more than 14 days (time for the ggs to hatch and die for lack of food) then you are very safe

 

[sculpturegirl]

So the question is, "What do you do for a living that you deal with a lot of lice?" ewww

 

[Henaynei]

So the question is, "What do you do for a living that you deal with a lot of lice?" ewww

LOL - kind of you to ask I'm a school nurse it's not the only place I've "run in to" lice, but I call it home now