14 January has been declared STI Awareness Day, to get people thinking about their sexual health.
How much do you know about STIS?
1 If I don’t sleep around, then I don’t need to have a test.
True False 2 A person can always tell if they have an STI.
True False 3 Using latex condoms helps prevent the spread of STIS.
True False
4 If I’m over 50, I don’t need to worry about condoms anymore.
True False
5 STIS can cause major health problems, and even death.
True False
1. FALSE Even if you can count your partners on one hand, you should still get tested. On average, Brits will have nine sexual partners in their lifetime, meaning you’re connected to a lot of other people, even if you’ve only had a few partners. Unless you and your current partner have only ever slept with each other, it’s still possible for you to have caught something.
2. FALSE People can have an STI without having any symptoms. Women often have STIS without symptoms because their reproductive organs are internal, but men infected with some diseases like chlamydia also may have no symptoms. People affected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, generally have no symptoms for some time, even years after infection, so don’t assume that if you have no symptoms that you are Sti-free.
3. TRUE Latex condoms help prevent the spread of STIS, as long as they are used correctly. Remember that they can occasionally break or come off during intercourse, so they’re not 100 percent effective. 4. FALSE You may not need condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancy, but being older doesn’t protect you from catching an STI. Changing social structures mean that it’s becoming more common for the older generation to have new sexual partners. This has led to a rise in STI infection rates among the over-50s. 5. TRUE HIV, which can be spread through sexual contact, can be fatal. Genital herpes appears to be related to cervical cancer in women, and can damage babies born to infected women. Some STIS, such as gonorrhoea and chlamydia, can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, and if untreated, can lead to sterility, heart disease and even death.