Just the un-bias, unjudgmental facts on STDs.

[YoungAndExotic]

Ive recently been looking to get the low down on STDs. Ive become more sexually active recently, and I realised that I really know very little about STDs, chance of contracting, signs, etc.

Ive been trying to do some research, but everything I find comes in scare tactic form. Seems every peice of info I find is telling me to wear a condom, and refrain from sex with anyone with an unknown sexual history.

Thing is I know all that. Of coarse Im going to use a condom, Of coarse I know "the best way to avoid STDs is abstinence," and so on and so on.

Where can I find just the straight facts about STDs, without the facts being elaborated, or worded in such a way to scare me into not having sex. I already got all that information in high school.

I want to know things like how to recognize an STD when you see it. I want to know what the chances of contracting an STD through oral sex or touching is. I just want the facts, without feeling like Im being judged by some online article.

The ones that concern me the most are HIV and Herpes as (by my understanding) they can be undetectable to the human eye, and they are both non-curable

[CountryLover]

My best friend is HIV+, and this is what I've learned from his journey with it.

HIV is undetectable to the average person in early stages - remember that. Because it is an immune system disease, lots of "little" signs might show - worse allergies, skin conditions, respiratory problems can crop up. But until lab tests are done, it's hard to put those signs together to come up with HIV.

It's still contagious, though harder to transmit than most people seem to think it is. The HIV virus survives outside the human body VERY briefly so worries about toilet seats etc. are unnecessary. When Greg Louganis smacked his head on the diving board and bled into the competition pool, everyone got squeemish. Totally unnecessary. The chemicals used in public pools to keep the water purified will kill the delicate HIV virus immediately.

Reasonable caution with hygiene is all that's necessary. Don't share a toothbrush for example, and be careful of direct contact with open lesions in the skin, including cold sores on/in the mouth.

HIV, while uncurable and definitely horrid if it converts to fullblown AIDS, is actually much less of a problem than the old familiar STD's.

Syphilis is rearing its ugly head again. Some strains have become resistant to antibiotics, which can make treatment quite a problem. The symptoms happen in stages. The first stage is painless sores usually on the genitals but can be on the lips or tongue and sometimes other body parts. These are called canker sores. These go away within a couple of weeks usually but left untreated syphilis will move into the next stage. The next stage is the syphilis rash that shows on the soles of the feet and on the palms. This rash is brown in colour. With this rash comes other symptoms like a sore throat swollen glands with a fever and hair loss. Then there is the third stage of syphilis and it can last quite a few years. The person with this can get bone damage, joint damage, blindness, numbness in the fingers and toes and difficulty with co ordination.

If a person becomes infected it is easily treated with a one dose penicillan injection. Within a year all symptoms will be cured and 24 hours after you will no longer be contagious

Left untreated, syphilis will kill you, and rot your brain into rampant insanity in the process.

Herpes are usually transmitted during an outbreak, when sores are visible. However, they can be tiny and hard to spot on a guy's cock or anus in the "heat of the moment". They may be invisible entirely inside an infected woman. Herpes is especially dangerous for women, because some strains cause cervical cancer. Penetration is not necessary for infection - rubbing infected sores on the genitalia will spread the infection. That's why condoms don't always work to prevent herpes.

Chlamydia is also making a comeback. It is caused by a bacteria from the chlamydia trachomatis strain that lives in vaginal fluid and semen... This infection is transferred during intimate relations in bodily fluids but it is also believed in some cases it can be passed through oral sexual activity but no where near as much as the other.

It will also affect the immune system, causing all sorts of allergic reactions. Worst of all though, if left untreated it will leave a person infertile.

If this STD is untreated it will travel further inside the body. Once again this STD affects the reproduction system of both women and men. It can also cause an infection in the eyes and then an infection in the throat.

KNOW your partner. One night stands, lack of knowledge of past history, lack of testing, going bareback...all very unsafe in this day and age.

And no one is immune. My 15 yr old daughter contracted chlamydia, even though she swore to me that she'd "been careful" with her first boyfriend. I got HPV from a guy I was dating and ended up with surgery on my cervix to remove pre-cancerous spots.

Unfortunately there are quite a few more STDs to be careful about. I found some of this information on a great little site when I typed in "dangers of ..." into Google. www.minti.com

[YoungAndExotic]

Thanks for the info. Good descriptions on how to recognize STDs.

Does any one know what the chances are like of contracting different STDs through:

- Sex with condom?
- Sex without Condom?
- Oral without protection?
- Oral with Condom/dental dam?
- Touching, caressing?

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Hon, you can go to www.MedicalEncylopedia.com (I Think) and type in the questions you have or better yet, go talk to your Doctor and see if he/she has a medical diagram booklet that tells and Shows the various signs of STD's. Good Luck.
Cat

[shaz12]

Hey Country Lover thumps up you wrote a good piece.

If you never want to be in danger of any STDs or related/ HIV. Then one suggestion I heard before is to stay abstinence. Then you are 100 % risk free. The only true safe sex. By doing so makes life uninteresting to some and is quite difficult unrealistically. However to some Its far beyond keeping your self safe. Its more of a greater meaning.
Therefore the next steps for anyone who wants to have sexual relationship are as follow. ( my opinion please ! )

Seek knowledge : before engaging in any sexual activity eg oral sex, sexual penetration, kissing and toys etc. Parents play a good role. If you pass that stage then Its never too late to research a little.

Know your partner : Get familiar with your partner. People generally don't point out X Y Z very quickly. This is a warning for especially those who practice monogamous relationship or simply casual sex. If you are serious and unsure about someone. It may sound stupid, It doesn't hurt to ask for medical check up. ( I did that )

Protect yourself : after a long period in a relationship. Well this step usually dies. If you don't trust your partner. Reinforce protection or see your doc regular. Beside that protect yourself and put YOU first.

One night stand without a band : I just want to make this clear. If you had casual unprotected sex. By truth any thing can happen. The bigger difference is to seek medical examination before another round or with anyone else. By doing so you play an important role in protecting another person. Yes and follow up if result is not in your favor. Be honest from then on ! In whatever It may be. There for telling your partner. Its hard and you may loose a lot. But think of him or her. Remember not all STDs/HIV signs reveal early. Plus living with some STDs/HIV can cause infertile in both sex. Take the bitch slap men and as for women I don't know. Just know you did the right thing. Oh cry your eyes out and beg forgiveness.

Prevention is better than cure : last but not least.

Just think before you do anything. :) So you don't have to use the word " If did know "

[Frost]

Hey there,

A great site that I've discovered more recently is VisualDxHealth at http://www.visualdxhealth.com/ . It has collections of photographs for a variety of STD's (and other illnesses), including herpes and HPV (genital warts).

Another great site is "The Body" at http://www.thebody.com It has info on everything you'd ever want to know about HIV, and it also includes information on other STD's. I highly recommended using their Safe Sex/HIV Prevention forum here:
http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/index.html

If you search through the forums, you should probably be able to find data on percentages of contracting HIV (and other STD's) through a given type of sex. If you can't find an answer to your specific questions, post a question and the experts'll get back to you. They're nonjudgmental and straight-forward, so they're a great resource.

I hope that helps with getting info. If you need any more recommendations on where to get answers or have any questions, feel free to message me.

Take care man,
Frost :cool:

[jeancarleo]

Oh my God!
As i was reading this thread i had flashbacks of when i thought i had genital herpes back when i was a teenager (13 years old) and I'm uncut and was scared because i couldn't peel my skin down to uncover my gland so i masturbated hard until it ripped and it bleed a little and hurted for a while but then i discovered some tiny bumps on the crown of my gland and i had seen pictures of stds in school while there was a sexual class presentation about stds and HIV. So i did my research and found out they're just nothing to worry about and they ahve a name i always forget. I think it was pearly penile papules or something like that. The medical websites say that's more common in uncut men and are not contagious and can be removed with laser but that's expensive and painful and may leave damage. It also says that i have more sensitivity there and that's true. it feels so good. I did once tried plucking one off and it hurted but no blood or pus or nothing came of it just the skin.

Anyway, bareback sex is awesome but only if u trust and know your partner for a long time and get tested. Otherwise don't do it.

[YoungAndExotic]

Thanks for the resources everyone. Seems high school sex-ed in ontario isn't even close to being at the level it should.

Also as a comical side note. I started this thread by saying I was looking for simple facts without the whole "you should practice safe sex because if you dont...." deal. But I guess people just cant help but throw in the same old life lessons.