Myth-Information
HIVHepatitis C
Hepatitis B
Herpes
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
HPV
Unintended Pregnancy
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Myth-Information
HIV Myth
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.
Hepatitis C Myth
THE MYTH: Hepatitis C is a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
THE REALITY: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted by blood-to-blood exposure. This myth is grounded in some truth. Hepatitis C can be transmitted sexually but the risk is very low. Safer sex is recommended for people with risk factors for hepatitis C, which includes people with multiple sex partners, men who have sex with men, women who have sex with women, and sex workers.
Hepatitis B Myth
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.
Chlamydia Myth
THE MYTH: STDs are most common in older unmarried men.
THE REALITY: Teens have higher rates of gonorrhea than do sexually active men and women ages 20-44. More sexually active teens have contracted gonorrhea than sexually active 20-44 year olds. Chlamydia, another STD, is also more common among teens than older men and women.
Gonorrhea Myth
THE MYTH: You can't get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from giving or receiving oral sex.
THE REALITY: Any exposure to genitalia or body fluids puts you at risk for catching a STD. There are many STDs that can be transmitted by oral sex, including genital herpes, genital warts (Human Papiloma Virus), gonorrhea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chlamydia, canchroid, syphilis, internal parasite, and rarely HIV.
HPV Myth
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.
Unintended Pregnancy Myth
THE MYTH: If you have sex in a pool, you won't get pregnant or infected with HIV because the chlorine kills sperm and viruses.
THE REALITY: You can become pregnant or contract HIV while having sex in a pool.
More Unintended Pregnancy Myths...
Syphilis Myth
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.
Herpes Myth
THE MYTH: If you have been with your partner for several years and just found out that you have genital herpes, your partner must have been cheating on you.
THE REALITY: The fact that your partner has been diagnosed with genital herpes does not necessarily mean that he or she has been unfaithful to you. You or your partner may have contracted the disease from another sexual partner a long time ago.
