STDs like herpes, HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are very common, and most people will likely get one at some point in their lives. Young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 years are especially at a higher risk of getting infected because they are more sexually active.
While some STDs can be cured with antibiotics, others can cause serious health issues, especially if they’re not treated right away. Since most STDs do not show symptoms immediately, the only way to know whether you are infected is for you and your partner to get tested. Nowadays, there are so many walk-in STD testing centers, so you shouldn’t have any excuse for not knowing your status.
Read on to learn more about STDs and how you can prevent yourself from getting infected.
What Is an STD?
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections spread from one person to another, mainly through sexual contact. Sometimes, they can be spread through non-sexual means, such as blood transfusion or from an infected mother to child during childbirth. STDs are quite common since most infected people don’t have any symptoms.
If you’ve had unprotected sex with someone and notice any STD signs, you should schedule a test immediately. Some of the most common signs of STDs that you should look out for include:
- Sores and bumps on your genitals, thighs, or butt cheeks
- Abnormal discharge from your penis or vagina
- Fever, swollen glands, body aches, and other flu-like symptoms
- Itching, irritation, swelling, or pain in your genitals or anus
- Burning when you pee
While these symptoms are common for STDs, they can also be caused by other infections, such as UTIs or yeast infections. This is why it’s important to get tested to be sure of what’s going on in your body.
Who Is at a Higher Risk of Getting an STD?
As mentioned earlier, young adults between the ages of 15 to 25 are at a higher risk of getting STDs. This doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook if you’re in midlife. In fact, STD infections have increased amongst seniors, thanks to internet dating and sexual enhancement medications like Viagra.
Some of the most common sexual behaviors that increase your risk of contracting an STD include the following:
- Having multiple partners
- Having sex while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs; This can lower your inhibitions, making you take great sexual risks.
- Having unprotected sex
- Having a partner that has more than one sexual partner
- Injecting drugs or having a partner who injects drugs
How to Avoid Getting an STD
There are six main things that you can do to protect yourself and your partner from contracting an STD. These include:
Abstaining
The only sure way of avoiding an STI is by abstaining. This means avoiding all types of sexual contact, including oral sex until you get a partner that you can trust. You can also abstain if you think you may have been exposed to an STD or if you have STD symptoms. This way, you will be protecting others from contracting the disease.
Getting Tested
You should schedule regular STD tests if you’re sexually active. The earlier you catch an STD, the easier it will be to treat it. Remember, nothing is embarrassing about getting tested for an STD. In fact, it’s the responsible thing to do since it empowers you to take control of your sex life.
Creating a Safer Sex Strategy
You can lower your risk of getting an STD by using protection. Though STDs can be spread through non-sexual means, using a condom can significantly reduce the chances of getting infected. You can also use dental dams to prevent oral STD infections.
Males and females should take charge of their sexual health by carrying their own condoms whenever they are going to have sex. If someone doesn’t want to use a condom to help prevent STDs, they don’t respect or care about you.
Getting Vaccinated
There are vaccines available for STDs, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis A, and HPV. Females and males between 9 and 26 years old can get the HPV vaccine, which protects against genital warts and some cancers. You can also get hepatitis A and hepatitis B combination vaccine to protect yourself from these conditions, which are spread through bodily fluids such as saliva, semen, or vaginal fluids.
Having Frank Conversations With Your Sexual Partners
Conversations around sex can be uncomfortable but are necessary to protect yourself and your partner from STDs. This means talking with your new partner about past partners, STD history, and boundaries that should be respected. Having such conversations is important because you get to know your partner better.
Protect Yourself from STDs
Whether you’re a teenager who just started exploring your sexuality or in midlife starting over again, it’s important to learn how to protect yourself from STDs. If you are seeing a new partner, the first step you should take is to get tested together to make sure no one is infected. After that, you can create a safe sex strategy that involves using protection and remaining faithful to each other.
Other ways of protecting yourself include getting vaccinated and abstaining from any form of sexual contact until you can find a partner you can trust.
