...Sex is sex!

Did you know that having anal or oral sex is considered SEX? I’ve heard that today’s teens are engaging in unprotected oral and anal sex because they don’t want the risk of getting pregnant. What I’m worried about is; what about the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection?

Where there's sex, there can be STIs. This includes oral, anal, vaginal, or any type of sexual contact. Not only are STI’s passed through semen and vaginal secretions, the viruses or bacteria can also enter the body through cuts or tears in the mouth and anus.

What can you do to protect yourself? Use a condom or a dental dam every time you have oral or anal sex. If the thought of the taste of latex grosses you out or sounds weird, no worries! They make these barriers flavored to help with that!

Keep in mind that some STIs, like herpes or genital warts, can be spread just through skin-to-skin contact with an infected area or sore, usually the areas where a condom doesn’t cover. This is why it’s so important to make sure that you and your partner get tested BEFORE you engage in sexual activity.

You can’t tell if someone has an STI just by looking at them, and unfortunately, most people don’t know that they have an STI because they show no signs or symptoms. Think about it! It’s better to be safe than sorry!

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We're here to answer any questions you may have!

Four Important Things You Need To Know About STD’s

First of all, what exactly is an STD? An STD is a sexually transmitted disease or infection that is passed from person to person through sexual contact including oral, anal or vaginal sex. According to the Students Against Destructive Decisions website, “Many people who have an STD don't know it.” If someone is unaware that they have an STI, this can create a lot of problems, especially if they are having unprotected sex with numerous partners. The infection will keep spreading until someone gets tested. Here’s are some facts you should know about STD’s:

1. There are two types of STI’s; bacterial and viral. Bacterial infections include Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Trichomoniasis. Viral infections include, HIV, Herpes, and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Bacterial infections can be cured by antibiotics. Viral infections can be treated for its symptoms, but they can never be cured.

2. Getting tested by your physician is the only way to tell if you're infected.

3. If you get infected with an STD, the symptoms may appear right away or may lay dormant in the body and not show up for weeks, months, or even years. Even if the signs and symptoms go away on their own, you may still infect other people if you have unprotected sex with them.

4.  If left untreated, STDs can cause infertility, long-term pain, or cancer.

Did you know that each year, approximately 19 million new STD infections occur, and almost half of them are among youth ages 15-24? (CDC) That’s 9.5 million new infections occurring in the 15-24 age range alone! STI’s are 100% preventable when using the correct precautions.

As we have seen, one of the symptoms of an STI is having no symptoms at all, which can be a really scary thing and should be a cause for concern. This is why it’s so important to get tested and to be tested on a regular basis. For more information about STD's, click here.