STD Myths

  • The Myth

    You can't get STDs from giving or receiving oral sex.

    The Reality

    This is one of the most dangerous myths in existence. Any exposure to genitalia or body fluids puts you at risk for getting an STD. There are many STDs that can be transmitted through oral sex, including genital herpes, genital warts (HPV), gonorrhea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chlamydia, canchroid, syphilis, internal parasite, and rarely, HIV. To prevent getting an STD from oral sex, you and your partner should get screened for STDs, and you should always use a condom or dental dam (a latex square or cut open condom) during oral sex. But of course, you can only get an STD if your partner has one in the first place, so get tested!

  • The Myth

    You can't have two STDs at once, including HIV.

    The Reality

    You can have multiple STDs at a time. If you have just one other untreated STD, you are 10 times more likely to have HIV. Your chances are greater if you have genital warts, lesions or ulcers like those you can get with syphilis or herpes.

  • The Myth

    Using two condoms, one on top of the other, gives you extra protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

    The Reality

    Using two condoms at once increases friction that will tear or break both condoms, increasing your risk of exposure to HIV and other STDs during sex.

  • The Myth

    I am not promiscuous and neither are the people I hang out with...it's unlikely that the people I would sleep with would have an STD.

    The Reality

    Females are more susceptible to acquiring STDs than males because their anatomy is more prone to infection in general. In addition, contracting STDs has nothing to do with cleanliness or grooming. Contracting an STD has everything to do with being intimate with someone who is already infected. The more partners you have or have had, the greater your chances of having an STD. The more partners your partner has or had, the greater your partner's chance of having an STD.

  • The Myth

    If you don't have any symptoms, you don't have a sexually transmitted disease/sexually transmitted infection (STD/STI).

    The Reality

    Many STDs are asymptomatic meaning without symptoms. Serious damage is being done to a woman's reproductive organs whether she has symptoms or not. The only way to know for sure if you are infected is to be tested. If you suspect you have a sexually transmitted infection or if your sexual partner has symptoms, you can go to your doctor or health department for testing. Talk with a knowledgeable health care provider or counselor before and after you are tested.
    The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

  • The Myth

    You can tell by looking at someone if they have a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

    The Reality

    You have no way of knowing if a person has an STD just by looking at their appearance, such as how they dress and how "clean" they are. Most STDs have very few or no signs at all. Only in really extreme cases of certain STDs could a person detect signs of an STD in the groin area, but don't rely on it. The truth is, about one in four sexually experienced teens become infected with an STD.