Medically reviewed by Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., FACOG, NCMP
April 13-19, 2025, is STI Awareness Week.
Misinformation is lots like an STI — you might cross it on to another person and never even realize it.
Myths and assumptions about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been round endlessly. Earlier than the web, you in all probability heard one thing questionable about STIs out of your greatest buddy, who heard it from a cousin, who knew somebody who stated you may’t get an STI the primary time you could have intercourse.
Whereas it’s true that you simply can discover respected, fact-based info on-line about STIs, it’s not at all times simple to inform reality from fiction, or whether or not a viral put up about rest room seats is true (extra on that later).
In an effort to unfold the phrase — not misinformation — right here’s the reality behind 7 of the commonest myths about STIs.
Read: 6 STIs You Need to Know About >>
1. “You may’t get STIs from oral intercourse.”
(Purses lips.) You will get STIs from oral intercourse. Oral intercourse is sexual exercise identical to vaginal and anal intercourse.
The excellent news is that dental dams (a bit of plastic that goes over the vagina or anus) and condoms can assist cut back the danger for STIs throughout oral intercourse.
2. “Douching after intercourse protects you from STIs.”
It is a laborious no. Douching after intercourse can’t shield you from STIs. Actually, douching might improve the danger for STIs as a result of it removes good micro organism together with dangerous micro organism within the vagina, which makes you extra susceptible to an infection.
As a rule, douching messes with the pure stability of your vagina and isn’t really helpful for anybody — ever.
3. “You will get chlamydia from a bench on the health club.”
You’ve in all probability heard this gem on social media, nevertheless it’s extremely unlikely for anybody to get chlamydia from a bench on the health club or anyplace (except perhaps you’re getting busy along with your coach on that bench.) For one, chlamydia is a bacterial an infection and the organisms can’t reside outdoors the physique for lengthy — particularly on laborious surfaces like a bench. And chlamydia impacts mucosal surfaces — the internal lining of the vagina, rectum and mouth — by intercourse. So, it might be extraordinarily troublesome for the organism to get the place it must go with out sexual exercise.
4. “You will get an STI from a public rest room seat.”
Getting an STI from a rest room seat can be very, most unlikely. It’s because STIs are handed from individual to individual throughout intercourse or by intimate skin-to-skin contact. Even when a STI was hanging out on a rest room seat, the percentages that it survived lengthy sufficient and by some means made it into your physique is slim to none.
5. “You may’t get an STI should you’re pregnant.”
You will get an STI should you’re pregnant. And a few STIs reminiscent of syphilis, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and genital herpes might be handed on to the newborn throughout being pregnant or childbirth.
Because of this it’s necessary to get screened for STIs earlier than getting pregnant or early in being pregnant to deal with or handle any infections.
Read: FAQs About HIV and Pregnancy >>
6. “Two condoms are higher than one to guard towards STIs.”
Double the condoms are usually not double the enjoyable. Once you layer one condom over the opposite, the supplies rub collectively and that truly makes them weaker and extra prone to break or tear.
7. “STIs solely occur to younger individuals.”
Anybody who has intercourse — regardless of age — is in danger for STIs. Actually, the charges of analysis have been on the rise for individuals ages 35 and older. You may cut back the danger for STIs through the use of a condom and/or dental dam each time you could have intercourse. It’s additionally a good suggestion for you and your companion to get examined earlier than you do the horizontal mambo.
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