Hey! I just recently discovered that I have high-risk HPV and I’m really scared to pass this on. How can I do that? (btw I’m a bisexual cis women)
It’s great that you’re thinking about how to keep you and potential partners safe. Because you have high-risk HPV, you have a higher chance of passing on the virus. HPV is the most common STD — it’s easily spread from sexual skin-to-skin contact. You get it when your vulva, vagina, cervix, penis, or anus touches someone else’s genitals or mouth and throat — usually during sex. HPV can be spread even if no one cums, and even if a penis doesn’t go inside the vagina/anus/mouth. There’s no cure for HPV, but there are things you can do to make sex safer, like using condoms and/or dental dams each time you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Condoms and dental dams aren’t as effective against HPV as they are against other STDs like chlamydia and HIV, but practicing safer sex can lower your chances of spreading HPV.
You can also speak to your partner about getting the HPV vaccine — it can protect them against certain types of HPV that can lead to cancer or genital warts.
Home all day, every day? If you’re spending some of that extra free time having sex, you can keep yourself and your sexual partners protected from STDs, pregnancy, and COVID-19. Here are some tips to make sex safer.
1.
CONSENT: Make sure that both partners enthusiastically say
“yes” to each act of sex. Don’t assume someone wants to. Instead, ask and open
up a conversation!
2.
TEMP:
Store at room temp.
Cars, wallets, and pockets are too hot to store condoms. However, if someone is
going out for the evening, it is okay to put a condom in their wallet or purse for
a short time so that they can be prepared.
3.
EXPIRATION
DATE? Check it!
4.
AIR
BUBBLE: Pinch the center of the package to be sure that package is not open
or damaged.
5.
OPEN:
Tear down the side of the package with fingers. Don’t use teeth or scissors
because it can damage the condom.
6.
PINCH IT:
to leave room for any semen.
7.
ROLL IT:
Make sure it will roll down the right way BEFORE the condom goes on the penis.
If you put it on inside out by accident, don’t turn it over and use it again, because
fluid from the penis already touched the condom.
8.
CHECK IT:
to see that it’s still on correctly during sex.
How to prevent STDs when both people have vaginas (aka you cant wear a condom?)
There are many ways to protect yourself against STDs. While the external condom, which goes on the penis, is the most popular method, it’s not the best option for everyone. Here are some alternatives:
Internal condoms — also called “female” condoms — are little soft plastic pouches that you put inside your vagina to protect against pregnancy and STDs. There is currently only one brand available in the US called FC2.
Dental dams are thin, square pieces of latex that help prevent the spread of STDs when placed over the vulva or anus during oral sex. Dental dams can protect you and your partner from body fluids and some skin-to-skin contact, which can both spread STDs. Are you the DIY type? Dental dams can also be made out of condoms, rubber gloves, and even non-porous plastic wrap.
Condoms and dental dams are available at Planned Parenthood health centers and your local drugstore. Have fun and be safe!
There are a bunch of different sexually transmitted infections, and most of them can be separated into two categories: STDs caused by bacteria, and STDs caused by viruses. The main difference between them is that bacterial STDs are curable, and viral STDs are not curable. But it gets a little more complicated than that.
Bacterial STDs include gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and trichomoniasis (trich). STDs caused by bacteria can be cured with medicine. This means that once the medicine has finished working, the infection is totally gone and you don’t have the STD anymore. But if you don’t get treated, they can lead to health problems (like infertility) in the future. And it’s possible to get a bacterial STD again — that’s why it’s important to get tested for STDs regularly.
Viral STDs include herpes, HPV, and HIV. STDs that are caused by viruses can live in your body forever. That may sound scary, but viral STDs don’t always cause serious health problems. And there are treatments that can help manage your symptoms and prevent the virus from spreading to other people. Some viral STDs can even go away on their own.
Herpes is a super common skin condition that can cause outbreaks of blisters, but it’s not dangerous. Most of the time there are no symptoms, or the symptoms aren’t noticeable, so lots of people don’t even know they have herpes. Herpes outbreaks are no fun, but the first one is the worst. Repeat outbreaks are usually shorter and less painful. Most people with herpes get fewer outbreaks as time goes on, and some stop having them altogether. People who have herpes can take medicine to help prevent outbreaks and avoid spreading the virus to their partners.
HPV is a common virus that has lots of different types, or “strains.” Some strains cause genital warts, which can be annoying but aren’t dangerous. Other strains can lead to certain genital and oral cancers, especially cervical cancer. But regular Pap tests can spot any problems on your cervix before they become cancer, and HPV tests can find the types of HPV that can lead to cancer. The HPV vaccine is also a good way to prevent HPV. Most of the time, HPV goes away on its own and doesn’t cause any health problems.
HIV is a virus that hurts your immune system (your body’s defense against getting sick). When HIV damages your immune system, it’s easier to get really sick from things that normally wouldn’t affect you. Without treatment, HIV can lead to AIDS, which is when other illnesses can easily attack your body. There are medicines that people living with HIV can take to stay healthy, and lots of ways to avoid giving HIV to other people. There’s also a medicine you can take to help prevent HIV, called PrEP.
STDs don’t discriminate. Anybody who has sexual contact with another person can get an STD. That’s why getting tested for STDs regularly if you have sex is important — the sooner you know you have an infection, the sooner you can get treated. The good news is, most STDs are easy to cure or treat. And having safer sex can help prevent STDs.
Anal sex means penis-in-anus sex or toy-in-anus sex. For some people, the anus and prostate are erogenous zones — a part of the body that, when touched, makes you feel aroused.
Here’s how to keep yourself and your partner safer during anal sex:
Consent is key. Porn can give us unrealistic expectations about sex. It can make some people feel like anal sex is something that’s expected or required. It’s definitely not! Make sure the person you want to have anal sex with is 100% on board. And partners should check in with each other periodically to make sure that they’re still comfortable and into it.
Use protection. Condoms offer great protection against STDs. You can also put condoms on sex toys — like dildos, vibrators, or butt plugs — to keep yourself and your partner protected. Just make sure to use a different condom if you change partners or switch to oral or vaginal sex. Cross-contaminating butt germs can make you sick or cause infections. Also, anal sex without a condom is more likely to pass HIV than oral or vaginal sex. Talk to your doctor or nurse about about whether PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) — a daily pill that can help prevent HIV — is right for you.
Lube is your best friend. Lube keeps sex nice and slippery, cutting down on friction and leading to safer and more comfortable sex. Unlike vaginas, the anus can’t lubricate itself. So without lube, anal sex can be super painful and even dangerous: dry anal sex can lead to irritation and tears in the anus and rectum, putting both of you at a higher risk for STDs, including HIV. Friction also makes condoms break more easily. if a condom breaks during anal sex, talk to a nurse or doctor, like the staff at your nearest Planned Parenthood health center, about STD testing.
If the idea of anal sex doesn’t turn you on, that’s 100% okay. As with all things sexual, you don’t have to have anal sex if you don’t want to. The important thing is that if you’re going to have anal sex, make sure you’re taking steps to protect yourself and your partner.
I just got an IUD inserted, and I forgot to ask my doctor if I can just stop taking my birth control. Do I need to phase it out somehow?
When you switch from one birth control method to another, there are some cases in which you need to continue with your old method for a short period of time so that you’re covered until your new method starts working.
With IUDs, it all depends what kind of IUD you’ve chosen. Here’s the breakdown:
If you got the copper IUD (ParaGard), you can stop using your old method right away. Super easy.
With a hormonal IUD (Mirena, Liletta, or Skyla), it depends on where you are in your menstrual cycle when you get the IUD inserted:
If it’s been fewer than 7 days since the start of your last period, you’re good to go — you can stop your old method.
If it’s been more than 7 days since the start of your last period, keep using your old method for the first week with the IUD. After that week, you can stop using your old method.
Remember that IUDs don’t protect you from STDs, so it’s a good idea to throw a condom in the mix for safer sex.
