Myth #15- TALKING about STDs encourages SEX

Okay, my last myth for April's STD Awareness Month is one that I'm truly passionate about airing. Let me assure you, when I teach youth about sexually transmitted infections, no one leaves the room ready to jump in the sack! There is NOTHING SEXY about genital warts, infertility, and painful, recurring ulcers in your genitals. NOTHING!

When we teach kids that they shouldn't smoke, we do way more than say "don't smoke". We appropriately teach them that not only does nicotine cause yellow teeth and bad breath, but also leads to lung cancer (and bladder cancer and mouth/throat cancers!) Do pictures of black lungs and stained teeth encourage youth to go out and try smoking??

So, why not teach our kids about the real medical risks of physical intimacy? It's NOT ENOUGH to say "don't have sex". Believe me, that is why I wrote the book Seductive Delusions: how everyday people catch STDs! I wrote the book for every smart, educated, and yes, religious young person who ended up with a sexually transmitted disease because they did NOT understand all the facts.

BOTTOM LINE: Teaching kids about STDs does NOT encourage them to have sex- it helps them have all the information they need to make smart, safe choices.

Myth #4- Condoms ="SAFE SEX"

Okay, we're on a roll. Myth #4 is that CONDOMS=SAFE SEX. Condoms absolutely DECREASE greatly your risk of both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, especially for the STDs transmitted via body fluids- gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV and trichomonas. However, condoms can only cover ONE area- I don't think I need to spell out which one. Diseases that can be transmitted outside that area, by direct skin-to-skin contact, can still be spread despite proper condom use. Which diseases are these? Herpes, HPV (the wart virus), syphilis, and pubic lice (crabs).
Also, because there is a roughly 10% failure rate of condoms through breakage, there is still a chance (1 in 10) of being exposed to potential disease. Not to mention that in real life studies, condom failure rates are more like 20%, because they are simply not used consistently.
So what to do? GET TESTED-both you and your partner. Know that really SAFE SEX means both partners are tested and known to be free of disease.
BOTTOM LINE: Condoms are very helpful in decreasing disease transmission, but don't be fooled that simply using condoms guarantees "SAFE SEX".