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.

STD Myth #14- Penicillin will cure it!

"Oh, it's nothing a shot of penicillin wont fix, right?" If you're over forty, you probably grew up hearing this one. In fairness, back then, it was kind of true! Unfortunately, now we only have ONE sexually transmitted disease that penicillin can still cure- syphilis. Amazingly enough, a shot of penicillin really will fix that one!

However, it's important to note that half of our STDs are viral (herpes, HPV, HIV, & hepatitis A, B, and C) and therefore NO antibiotic can cure them. We do have anti-viral medications that can help suppress these infections, but no cure yet.
Additionally, gonorrhea (which IS a bacterial infection) has become resistant to multiple different classes of antibiotics, so now there is only one type of antibiotic which is still effective.

BOTTOM LINE: Realize a simple dose of antibiotics will NOT always "fix" an STD.

Myth #11- Symptoms Gone, Disease Gone?

Okay, this myth ties in with the earlier one that you'd KNOW if you had an STD. How many women out there have used an over-the-counter (OTC) product to treat a presumed yeast infection? Well, here's the thing. An itch, burn or discharge is NOT always a yeast infection, regardless of whether or not the symptoms go away when you use an OTC treatment.
Many sexually transmitted diseases have transient symptoms, causing an initial itch, burn, or discharge, but then those symptoms resolve on their own, although the infection is still there. This is not only true, but very common, especially with chlamydial infections. The problem is that even though now silent, this infection can be damaging your reproductive tract, possibly even leading to infertility.
So, when is a yeast infection "just" a yeast infection (which is really a yeast overgrowth, not a true infection)? Well, if you are taking an antibiotic (which kills off the good bacteria in your vagina along with the problem bacteria causing an infection elsewhere, like your sinuses), AND you have not ever had a sexual partner (or are in a long-standing monogamous relationship), it is likely yeast. If you have had a new sexual partner, however, I'd suggest you go to your doctor and be diagnosed accurately.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't assume that symptoms resolving with the use of a yeast medicine confirms that you "only" had yeast!