There is nothing wrong with sleeping with multiple people, whether over a long period of time or not. There is nothing wrong with only sleeping with one person, saving yourself for marriage or not. There is nothing wrong with sleeping with absolutely nobody at all.
And getting an STD from any of these situations does not change that. Getting an STD does not change who you are, how much respect you deserve, or anything else. The most it should change is how careful you are and how much medicine you put into your body. That is it.
Calling each other sluts because some people got their STDs from some random person that they barely knew does not make you a better person for getting yours from your long-term partner. All this truly does is give more power to the negative influence of STDs and to the controlling nature of our society over women and their bodies.
This type of talk damages us in so many ways. It makes people afraid to act on their urges. And it makes it so that many people do not think that they need to protect themselves when they just have a single partner. It leads to a complete shut down of speech about STDs and what they really mean for each person in today’s society. It makes it so that people are afraid to ask questions, afraid to get tested, afraid to protect themselves when they believe that they should be. And this is unacceptable.
You have an STD? Let your partner(s) know and take care of yourself. But, please, don’t let other people tell you that you deserve to be treated any different. You are not a “slut.” Having sexual desires does NOT make you a slut. Acting on your sexual desires STILL doesn’t make you a slut. It simply makes you a person with a sex drive.
Think before you speak. Stop calling each other sluts. Stop dehumanizing each other. Stop making it seem like you are better because you did not have to sleep around to get the same STD that someone else has. If you do not want people to look down on you for your STD, then you need to fight for that right for everyone.
The documents below are great sources of information about HPV. Although they are incredibly technical by nature, I feel like people should at least read the “results” sections of each paper. Knowledge is power.
Transmission of Human Papillomavirus in Heterosexual Couples:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/6/pdfs/07-06162.pdf
Sexual Transmission of Human Papillomavirus in Heterosexual and Male Homosexual Couples
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1194144/pdf/genitmed00055-0041.pdf
Stay safe!
UTHealth experts answer questions about the most common sexually transmitted disease in the US, human papillomavirus (HPV): Who should be vaccinated and at what age, how oral cancers are related, how women’s heart disease may be linked, and many others.
In a large population of young women aged 9 to 26 years who received quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4), researchers found no increase in new-onset autoimmune conditions. This observational safety study showed no cluster of disease onset according to vaccination timing, dose sequence, or patient age for the 16 prespecified autoimmune conditions examined, researchers reported in an article published in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
A further strength of the study is that it was conducted using a large, ethnically and sociodemographically diverse population receiving routine care, making it likely that the findings apply to the usual groups of young women receiving HPV4. The authors said these safety results provide “important complementary knowledge” to data from clinical trials and from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
William Schaffner, MD, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, and president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, commented to Medscape Medical News that he is impressed with the study, which he said is “very well designed and executed…nicely written up, [and] very comprehensive” in its survey of a wide variety of immune disorders. In this era of vaccine skeptics, and even deniers, and in which “HPV has even entered the political discourse,” he said, “I think it’s very important that this sort of message be transmitted as widely as possible.”
Most people know that HPV is spread through skin-to-skin contact during sexual intercourse (vaginal and anal). And while condoms provide excellent protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), they only provide some protection against HPV.
Because condoms do not cover all the skin around your genitals, you can still get the HPV virus though skin-to-skin contact in the genital area even if you’re wearing a condom. It can also be spread through contact with other areas that aren’t covered. In other words, you can get HPV through oral-genital or hand-genital contact – not just intercourse!
In fact, there has been a huge spike in HPV-linked oral cancer. Researchers reported that over a 20-year period ending in 2004 the percentage of oral cancer linked to HPV surged from 16% to 72%.
Remember, just like any STI, you can be infected with HPV after only one exposure to someone who has the virus.
Furthermore, you can be infected with HPV more than once, even if you’ve already been exposed to HPV before. Your body may not have developed long-term protection against the virus, and/or you may come into contact with a completely different strain of the virus (there are over 100 different types of HPV).
Condoms are nonetheless still the best way (second to abstinence) to protect yourself from STIs. So always practice safe sex.
In a large population of young women aged 9 to 26 years who received quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4), researchers found no increase in new-onset autoimmune conditions. This observational safety study showed no cluster of disease onset according to vaccination timing, dose sequence, or patient age for the 16 prespecified autoimmune conditions examined, researchers reported in an article published in the February 2012 issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
A further strength of the study is that it was conducted using a large, ethnically and sociodemographically diverse population receiving routine care, making it likely that the findings apply to the usual groups of young women receiving HPV4. The authors said these safety results provide “important complementary knowledge” to data from clinical trials and from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
William Schaffner, MD, chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, and president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, commented to Medscape Medical News that he is impressed with the study, which he said is “very well designed and executed…nicely written up, [and] very comprehensive” in its survey of a wide variety of immune disorders. In this era of vaccine skeptics, and even deniers, and in which “HPV has even entered the political discourse,” he said, “I think it’s very important that this sort of message be transmitted as widely as possible.”
everyone treats sex like its such a taboo! but its not! its apart of LIFE and just like eating to much unhealthy foods can make you sick..give you heart disease etc… so can sex! ….i wish society wasnt the way it was…if society was more understanding and non judgmental im almost 100% sure the death rates due to various stds would decrease..mainly because
- persons would NOT be afraid to get themselved checked out…
- or to tell their parents that something isnt right….
- they would not be embarressed to get over the counter or even prescribed medicines
- and persons would openly question others when things are not feeling right with themselves
however…because of the society we live in..people are embarrassed…ashamed…and sometimes just cant deal with the thought of being labelled an STD carrier…but these things can be fixed! its not the end of the world…. sigh..
![alexorue:
Gardasil May Protect Against Anal Cancer
Joe.My.God. reports:
In a small study involving HIV-negative gay men, the HPV vaccine Gardasil was shown to reduce the risk of anal cancer.
The vaccine reduced the risk of lesion recurrence by approximately 50% in the first two years after immunisation. There was some evidence that the protective effects of the vaccine waned after this point. “This is the first study to demonstrate an association between Gardasil after primary disease and decreased risk of recurrent HGAIN [high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia],” comment the investigators, who believe the vaccine may be “an effective post-treatment adjuvant to prevent recurrent HGAIN.” High-risk strains of human papilloma virus are the main cause of anal and cervical cancer. The quadrivalent human papilloma virus vaccine (Gardasil) is highly effective at preventing infection with these strains. Rates of anal cancer are elevated in gay and other men who have sex with men.
As I overshared on Facebook at the time, last month my new doctor surprised me with an anal pap smear, something his practice does routinely for all gay men over 40. My result was thankfully negative, but I mention it here to reinforce how simple and brief the procedure is. Ask for it, regardless of your age.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyzdnpO6it1qcb881o1_500.jpg)
Gardasil May Protect Against Anal Cancer
Joe.My.God. reports:
In a small study involving HIV-negative gay men, the HPV vaccine Gardasil was shown to reduce the risk of anal cancer.
The vaccine reduced the risk of lesion recurrence by approximately 50% in the first two years after immunisation. There was some evidence that the protective effects of the vaccine waned after this point. “This is the first study to demonstrate an association between Gardasil after primary disease and decreased risk of recurrent HGAIN [high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia],” comment the investigators, who believe the vaccine may be “an effective post-treatment adjuvant to prevent recurrent HGAIN.” High-risk strains of human papilloma virus are the main cause of anal and cervical cancer. The quadrivalent human papilloma virus vaccine (Gardasil) is highly effective at preventing infection with these strains. Rates of anal cancer are elevated in gay and other men who have sex with men.As I overshared on Facebook at the time, last month my new doctor surprised me with an anal pap smear, something his practice does routinely for all gay men over 40. My result was thankfully negative, but I mention it here to reinforce how simple and brief the procedure is. Ask for it, regardless of your age.
“A major study of oral infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) — now known to cause of a subset of oropharyngeal cancer — has found a much higher incidence in men than in women and has established sexual transmission as the main way it spreads. It also raises questions about whether existing HPV vaccines offer protection.
There is a rising incidence in oral HPV infection and in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer in the United States. “The curves are a little bit frightening,” said lead author Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, from Ohio State University in Columbus. But she pointed out that vaccines against HPV are already marketed, so “we have the means to prevent this already sitting on our pharmacy shelves.”
The HPV vaccines (Gardasil and Cervarix) were developed to offer protection against cervical cancer after the link between cervical HPV infection and cervical cancer was firmly established, and are targeted mainly to girls.
The link between oral HPV infection and oral HPV cancer was established more recently; Dr. Gillison reported that the research is about 20 years behind that for cervical cancer. There is speculation — although no hard data — that the same vaccines could offer protection against HPV-associated oral cancer. Because this is more prevalent in men, it would make sense to vaccinate boys as well as girls.”
