Myth-Information
HIVHepatitis C
Hepatitis B
Herpes
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
HPV
Unintended Pregnancy
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Myth-Information
HIV Myth
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.
Hepatitis C Myth
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.
Hepatitis B 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.
Chlamydia 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.
Gonorrhea 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.
HPV Myth
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.
Unintended Pregnancy Myth
THE MYTH: If a girl has sex during her period, there is no chance of pregnancy.
THE REALITY: Theoretically, a girl will ovulate before her period, and during her period the egg will be shed from the uterus, so no egg, no pregnancy. However, this theory is highly unreliable, particularly during the teen years. Most teens have very irregular cycles because their bodies are still trying to regulate themselves. Even if a girl's period shows up at the same time each month, her ovulation could still be out of whack, so there's no way to tell when an egg will or will not be present. Not to mention, sperm can live five to seven days inside the vagina, thereby increasing the chance of pregnancy. So menstruation is by no means a safe time to have sex. The "rhythm method," or determining approximate times of ovulation, should to be used when TRYING to get pregnant, not when trying avoiding it.
More Unintended Pregnancy Myths...
Syphilis 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.
Herpes 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.
