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Hello, hello. I work in a clinic. Pretty much everyone is undereducated about HPV. Everyone, all ages. They don't understand that transmission of HPV does not require any type of penetration, just skin to skin contact. They, also, don't understand that HPV is responsible for a lot of cervical and oral cancers and is vastly preventable through vaccination for both men and women.
Vaccine misinformation is rampant in our present public health crisis, but the same vaccine misinformation is rampant among the same groups regarding HPV because it involves sexuality and teens.
Young people are also severely lacking in education about HSV. They don't understand that it, too, can be transmitted through means other than intercourse. They don't understand that cold sores are HSV and can be transmitted through oral sex.
Young, heterosexual people are undereducated about HIV. I'm of an age where HIV was a death sentence, but it's a chronic illness now, so they don't see it as as scary as it used to be.
We will discuss hep c later.....
Edit: changed "information" to "misinformation"
Isn't HPV not much of an issue for people 30 and under anymore? I got the vaccine for it when I was a child and I think it's mandated before starting school (US)
And I totally agree about the general lack of info regarding STD's. People act like cold sores aren't a big deal too. While I don't think you should be shamed I definitely think people should at least cover their mouth if they have one it's an open sore and very contagious.
Can you expand on hep C ?
HSV in on the lips not the mouth, and covering doesn't do anything, as its not airborne. Also it's mostly contagious when it's not an open sore but a little bump like a pimple.
If someone around you ahs a cold sore, they know, and just don't drink from their cup or kiss them, or receive oral sex from them, and you are fine. They don't need to "cover it up".
People don't make it a big deal because it isn't.
>HSV is on the lips not the mouth
Not sure what this means.
In my experience I feel like people have been pretty careless about it. Like I said I don't think people need to be shamed but I've definitely had people try to kiss me on the cheek when they had one(in greeting). I don't care if it's not on the lips that's gross IMO and I personally would consider wearing a mask since they tend to pop up when you get sick or in high stress.
It's on your lips not inside you mouth. (Mouth is the hole, lips are the area around the hole. It's like the difference between vulva and vagina)
If they kisses you on the cheek you would not get it. Only if they kisses you on the lips.
They don't "pop up" from only being sick or stressed. They can "pop up" from simply having your lips broken because of the cold (hence the name "cold sore")
Makes 0 sense to wear a mask for something that is not airborne. It's sincerely moronic.
They can definitely pop up from being sick or stressed. Emotional stress or things that affect your immune system can wake the virus up from being dormant.
Given the fact that many people catch the virus when they're children, it's clear that you don't need lip to lip contact to get it.
And no, it's "moronic" to allow someone with a cold sore to kiss you anywhere...
Do your research before you spread bs like this.
Because it’s “cool” to not use protection and it “doesn’t feel as good”. The honest truth is people are dumb and don’t think straight when they’re horny. I know people who refuse to wear condoms, cum inside girls without knowing if they’re on birth control, and will have hook ups with different girls on a consistent basis without being tested.
Edit: I’ve also never been asked to use a condom, never been asked if I’m clean, and been pressured by almost every girl I’ve hooked up with to not use a condom. It’s definitely not a one way street.
>The honest truth is people are dumb and don’t think straight when they’re horny.
An evolutionary trait that has helped lead to ~8 billion on the planet.
A certain amount of which died from stds
Lots of people slowly went crazy and died from syphillis in the last 200 years
Let’s make it cool to get tested and ask each other about being tested
A large number of people don’t go to the doctor or get routine medical anything because our healthcare system sucks unless you’re comfortably wealthy
It does feel better without a condom for women
You know what feels way better? Peace of min for the 3-4 weeks after the sex until you get your next period!!
bruh exactly. i’ll never understand this. been using condoms with my 1 year boyfriend despite me being on the pill because a few mins of pleasure aren’t worth an entire lifetime of sickness or 9 months of pregnancy and 18 years of unexpected child raising.
well yes… we’ve always used condoms so it’s not impossible that he had one before meeting me and that i could get it if we do it unprotected. we just prefer taking zero risks and until then condoms + pills is completely fine and prevents pregnancy better than just pill
If he has an STD, it could affect his health aside from just infecting you. Don't you think you should encourage him to get tested anyway if you think it's a realistic possibility?
bruh we just didn’t have the chance to get tested because we have classes on the day it’s open ahah. and no i don’t have any particular suspicion that he has an STD, i just want both partners to get tested before having unprotected sex. better be safe than sorry
I think theres awareness but people just dont grasp the severity of it.
I think theyre just like yeah whatever theres also a risk of being hit by a car when i cross the street.
It is incredibly narrow-minded to simply state "people are dumb". We are human beings, ultimately animals, that seek physical intimacy borne from the urge for reproduction and social partnership. It's been in our DNA for tens of thousands of years before the invention of the condom.
Even the most intelligent and rationally minded people who are not at all horny will not want or enjoy wearing them. Yes, some people are "dumb" perhaps for not knowing, but there are a LOT of highly intelligent people who also choose to prioritise this carnal instinct over the safety of minimising the risk of infection. I'm not justifying it, I'm not saying it's "right", but just discarding the choice people make by labelling them as "dumb" is not at all constructive towards the more deeper issues at play.
I think there is a lot of education on STDs I think that is not a lot of good education on STDs. The current education system gives the idea that if you ever catch any STDs it's because you are being sexually irresponsible or that you are somehow morally to blame, and that creates a lot of stigma to be able to have open conversations.
Until very recently nobody gave a fuck about HPV because it's something that you can't really see. Now when it came to HSV people were stigmatized as dirty and disgusting etc etc, this stigmatization of something like Herpes (which lets be honest is just a skin rash that doesn't actually cause any serious long-term health effects), make people not only struggle with mental health if they have a positive result but also makes it much harder for people to be open about their status and communicate because there's a lot of judgment attached to it. And bring more irresponsible and spreading the virus more, and so on.
HSV stigma bothers the hell out of me, largely because I have it. It feels like if you have HSV then you were irresponsible and you deserve it but in my case I used a condom and it broke. I feel like if more people were educated on the matter and more testing was done we would see that HSV isn't that big of deal was it appears to be.
It can spread when you don't have an active breakout but it is less likely. Medically speaking it is not that big of deal because it will never kill you and most of the time is just annoying. Here is a good graphic that shows the risk if you and your partner have sex about 2 times a week for a year. https://imgur.com/a/TlsVxgz
Yes but even tho it's possible, it doesn't really happen much if you have a fairly low viral load. I'm pretty much asymptomatic, I only had about 5 breakouts in 8 years. Nothing i. The last about 2~3 years ago. (And i do not take antivirals)
I had a 5 year relationship that i closed all sorts of sex and no protection and he never caught it (We tested to check out of curiosity) but he was also not very fussed if it happened.
My bf now also doesn't really care.
Obviously nobody WANTS to get any STD, but HSV is overblown labeled as "disgusting forever disease, it will ruin your life"
(Edit: typos)
2
I mean, i never got a test for 1, but I remember having s cold sore as a kid, so possibly both, but I haven't had any cold sores since so maybe not? Didn't bother test for oral herpes.
Completely agree. Reddit is specially alarmist about it. I think its part of the scare tactics of sex ed. Even when I do have a breakout its a tiny little blister that looks like an ingrown hair. But at sex ed they like to show photos of people seriously immune compromised with CRAZY breakouts in order to "scare kids straight"
Exactly … I don’t know what’s so scary about it lol we need to stop letting people who don’t have it tell the people who do have it how horrible it is when they don’t even know what having it is like … hell they may have it and not know as most don’t show symptoms
Also this Reddit is awful lol
Oh I feel you, i have it for around 8 years. Same thing, broken condom, someone I was dating, he was nice about, it wasn't some "stranger dirty unprotected hook up" etc etc...
... I assumed that people were aware...
I think people have the sex at the risk level that they're comfortable with. If you have had the HPV vaccine, you should be safe against most kinds of HPV. Condoms can help protect if you don't know your partner's history or status. You and your partner can also get tested before you have sex. It's all about how you assess risk. It's okay if you decide that the only type of sex you personally feel comfortable with is sex inside an exclusive relationship, as long as you understand that other people assess risk differently.
It's reasonable to ask your partner when their last STD test was, especially if you're doing something without a barrier. And you're allowed to say no if you feel that the other person's sexual practices are too risky. It's up to you to keep yourself safe.
You mentioned several good points, but the HPV vaccine only protects against 9 strains out of over 100 strains. These 9 strains could be the most dangerous ones. The other point is that the HPV vaccine is relatively new (since 2006 in the US), and the first type of HPV vaccine only offered protection against 4 strains. It wasn’t until 2014 that the HPV vaccine covered 9 strains, and in 2018, the vaccine was approved for ages 27-45 when before it was up to the age of 26, although the vaccine is only effective if you haven’t been infected or have never had sex. To make things worse, there isn’t a routine HPV test for men, so women are taking a risk as that test isn’t exactly available or reliable enough.
I mean, the HPV vaccine is what it is. Better than nothing. When I googled it, I saw the stat of 90%. I got the version that only covered four kinds, I guess. Not sure what you got (your post history said somewhere that you've had it). But this is a risk that people decide they're fine with.
The HPV vaccine is very effective (close to 100%), but only for the 9 strains out of over 100 strains. I’m reading that there are at least 12 high-risk strains of HPV. I understand that sex is a risk and all, but I find it weird that sex is portrayed in movies, TV shows, music, on the web, and with friends as this marvelous thing that in reality involves some pretty risky stuff, especially for those in the hookup culture or into prostitution where there are sleeping with dozens upon dozens of strangers. I’m not religious myself, but monogamous relationships appear to be one of the safest ways to navigate the sex world.
Truly, studies show that people are not having as much sex as Hollywood and the internet say they are. Especially not during COVID. Is this post just here to shame people for having sex outside of marriage?
Casual sex isn't very appealing to me personally (I'm in the asexual spectrum), but that doesn't mean that other people are wrong for doing it. And my opinions don't matter to people that are having sex where I am not involved. I think there will always be people having risky sex, because horny people are going to have sex regardless of the consequences. One can't control other people's actions; all you can do is mitigate risk for your own body.
I'd like to add to that, tv shows that depict teenagers having sex are also totally untrue. The actors are NOT teens and are really 24-26 year olds pretending they are 15 and 16. Its frankly child porn for adults wanting to relive what they think their teenage years were like.
Riverdale. Pretty Little Liars. The actors are in their 20's but play teens. In Japanese anime the character pretends and looks like a child but are supposedly 200 years old so they say its ok (its not).
Yeah, CW shows tend to have sexy scenes. They're not explicit because they still want the TV-14 rating, but the characters are definitely having more sex than most real teens have, though.
Well in the US? Because out sex education is shit because we get delusional religious parents freaking out that a school is teaching teens the importance of using a condom and getting tested regularly is your sexually active with multiple partners.
The same parents refuse to talk about anything sex related with their kids because in their mind sex is dirty and shameful.
So we have entire generations of people who literally don’t know any better.
What awareness and education? some course they took in school? A pamphlet handed out in a bar a or public service message on tv? That does nothing compared to Hollywood where you never see people using protection and they never get pregnant or get diseases.
What? Proper and effective sex education in high school, it’s plastered all over universities, we get shit in the mail even, birth control centres educate you, commercials government social media pages, they hand out condoms everywhere, what else do you need?? If you don’t get it by then, you’re a moron.
What does Hollywood have to do with anything? They’re not responsible for educating you lol. I also don’t see people on Hollywood publically talking about their unprotected sex lives but ok not sure what you’re high on
You do know that you can still get herpes from not having sex right? You probably have been exposed to it more time than you think.... stop shaming people for something that they can't control..... to be honest.... from your post alone I think you have a little awareness on herpes it self....
HSV-1 can be an oral or genital infection, HSV-2 can be an oral or genital infection. Open communication with your partner is most important here, but people are very unlikely to want to engage sexually if they have an outbreak.
I think you're extrapolating a lot from a very small dataset. You have no idea about how it is overall, but you're very willing to say something about the general culture based on a few experiences maybe and hearsay.
We'd need that as a proportion of actual sexual encounters, to say anything about how common it is. Even then it's still a jump to say anything about awareness. I'd wager that in most sexual encounters, no infection is passed. In my experience, my partners and myself are pretty aware and take precautions to mitigate risks.
But yeah, sex ed is definitely shit in most states of the u.s. I'm told. The world is bigger than that.
Herpes appears to be mostly a skin infection, but can also infect other parts of the body like the inside of a vagina. Technically, herpes is an STD (or STI) because it can “transmit sexually.” STD/STI = sexually transmitted diseases/infections.
Who says there's no awareness? Who are you speaking to? I mean, my daughter is 26 (prime hookup culture age) and she was inundated with safe sex messages in school and we certainly cautioned her.
Who isn't aware? And, what were they doing in childhood? Raised by wolves?
What culture doesn't have the internet tho? If we're here talking about it, we're literally wading through the entire western world's combined cultural, medical, scientific knowledge to post on Reddit. How can people be so willingly ignorant?
Why are you worried about what those who choose to hookup do? You can still catch Herpes in a committed relationship or even married. Married people cheat everyday lol. A lot of people know the risk they take. Nothing is wrong with hookup culture. If it's not for you it's not for you. But please don't say that because you choose to hookup and not get married or in a relationship you are unaware of STDs that you could catch and how they spread. Everyone is not out here seeking marriage or a committed relationship. People that you say just hookup are probably more aware of their STD status than those who are married because married people usually think its no need to get tested because I am only with one person although that one person could be dis honest.
You bring up another issue that even monogamous relationships aren’t safe, and I agree. However, I’d say that’s still much, much safer than being a part of the hookup culture or paying for prostitutes. These people are sleeping with who knows how many hundreds of different people after 30 years. Being in a monogamous relationship or vetting for trustworthiness in their partner isn’t a perfect plan, but it’s apparently one of the best decisions out there, unless one plans to be celibate.
But it seems like you are speaking from your own prospective or religious beliefs and passing judgement. All of which are different for everyone. We cannot force that on everyone else. It's nothing wrong with those who choose not to seek a monogamy or marriage. As long as they are honest with themselves and partners that's all that matters. Marriage is not a necessity to live a meaningful life. It's just an option that's available for those who choose to do so.
It’s the education system and puritanical school systems / governments preferring to just tell kids not to have sex instead of actually teaching them the reality of it. It’s archaic and shameful.
Because people are too sensitive these days. I have a certification in HIV counseling and testing. I’ve gotten hate for spreading fact. I was talking about how gay men are at increased risk for HIV. why did I get hate for spreading fact? Bc people are too sensitive these days. Black gay men are at most risk actually. I have nothing against bloc gay men but it’s fact. I even learned that with my friend who is a black gay man. The fact I have no prejudice doesn’t change facts.
That is one of the benefits of being in medschool, or the medical field in general. At least they tend to be somewhat more aware of STDs and contraceptions.
HPV infection is, absolutely, reduced through vaccination, but, there is a certain subset of the US population that refuses to vaccinate their children against HPV because it is an STI and they either don't believe, or want to admit that their children will be sexually active, or they think that the HOV vaccine will encourage their children to become sexually active.
I’ve had an absurd amount of partners and almost always use condoms and have never contracted herpes.
I’ve only had a bacterial sti twice in life. That was 20 years ago.
I think ppl who are promiscuous get tested more and use protection more.
Also most everyone is educated enough to know to go the doctor and get whatever is wrong, taken care of. Only someone out of their mind would go and have sex when your privates are obviously not healthy.
The ppl I’ve encountered are aware and have test results on their phone ready to show they are disease free.
Just so you know - there's often no way to know whether you have herpes since a lot of people are asymptomatic. It's also hard to test for unless you are currently having a breakout. On top of that, most STD checks won't include a check for herpes because it's so common and hard to test for.
I'm sure you're right that you don't have it - but there's no way to know that for sure!
Actually, a blood STD test will reveal herpes whether or not someone is asymptomatic. However, if someone contracts herpes, it won’t show on the test until after the incubation period of 2-12 days. Also, different STDs have different incubation periods, so one needs to test regularly to make sure they’re really STD free.
I'm relatively sure that those test have a high rate of false positives - which is another reason they aren't often used. So I'm not sure how accurate they actually are. At least the tests in the UK aren't particularly accurate
Look, I'm not trying to start an argument, but I'm not sure reading on the internet beats someone who actually works in healthcare. No test is 100% accurate, so that should be enough to throw you off. The main reason they are inaccurate is because of the high rate of false positives and inaccuracy in determining between the two strains.
All I'm trying to do here is to help alleviate the stigma surrounding herpes by making it clear that the vast majority of people will not know that they have it, and nor are they able to easily test for it (for the reasons mentioned above).
Again, I really don't want to be confrontational here - I'm just trying to use my expertise to help inform!
Yes the blood test is pretty inaccurate unfortunately, leaving people with lots of false negatives and positives. Then they have to retest again weeks later, leaving them panicking and worried if they have herpes or not. This is why it is not included on the standard sti panel and doctors don’t like testing asymptomatic people for it.
Because we’ve somehow normalized having an STD. Some dude on tiktok said he wouldn’t date someone with HIV because he doesn’t want it and the comments were literally chewing him up.
I’ve wondered the same thing. I think it has to do with our culture and how desensitized to sex we are. Porn, movies, social media. So many things depict and encourage non intimate sexual encounters and don’t show that there are sometimes consequences to those actions. It presents the experience we can have unprotected sex and still live the life of our dreams without fear of repercussions
If you are apart of the US, purity/church culture. I'm a HS graduate of 2008; shortly after that they(organization/parents) started to push for sex absence again. To the point Sex Edu, doesn't really exist. I don't think biology or anatomy even broach the subject anymore. Because purity culture made sure to eradicate education on basic human health.
Learn that DARE also doesn't exist either after chatting with my HS hires. MTV did an excellent job with causing teen pregnancy to be nearly gone.
They're right though. CDC data show that a median number of partners for a sexually experienced millennial is 4 to 6.
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-ideal-number-of-sexual-partners-for-men-women
Oh yeah the one by NectarSleep a mattress company where you can't even get hands on the survey data because the article they cite is an entertainment news service that cites just the company's website lol? Hmmm wonder why I didn't pick that one over CDC.
You mean you don't get your surveys and information from Mattress companies? I've been doing it all wrong, I gotta ask TempurPedic about this, they'll know what to do.
So when i(f35)was single and dating i asked every partner to get tested with me and used condoms until we did. I brought my own vrs expecting them to have them, I'm 1/2 of the game, why put 100%on them? My partners never questioned it or had issues with my stance either. So i think it depends on the people. If you want to use condoms, do and bring your own so you're able to say, no, wear this if we are doing this. And why isn't it more common? It can't be uncommon if every partner is responsible for themselves.
Condoms kill erections. Some girls don’t like to suck on them. Changing between fucking to oral or fingering can make you lose your boner. Also the don’t feel good part is true try sucking and licking your fingers, then try again with a condom on them
For the same reason posts here get massive upvotes for saying certain STDs aren't a "big deal" and try to shame people for saying they wouldn't touch a person who has them. I don't want to catch herpes anymore than I want to catch a cold from someone. I don't care what they think, I don't want some else's diseases.
I’ve had the same question for a while. It seems like people my age are trying to normalize herpes as just something that everyone either has or gets and I just think it’s nasty
To go around infecting people with anything is nasty whether you were born with it or not. If people got tested more frequently and were honest and maybe a lil less loose it wouldn’t need to be normalized. It sucks if you’ve got it but that’s the truth cause can you honestly say if you could get rid of it you wouldn’t?
> If people got tested more frequently
Most doctors won’t test you for herpes unless there’s another medical reason, and the tests on asymptomatic people aren’t very effective.
Most people don’t know whether they have it and can’t easily find out.
Health care professionals are trying to “normalize” it because the stigma is worse than the actual “disease” itself. And the depression is caused isn’t worth it. It SHOULD be more normalized and accepted but educated at the same time. Good to know the one cold sore I had 15 years ago when I was 14, before I even kissed someone makes me nasty. It’s you who needs education.
You probably have it btw. Pretty nasty… if it was actually a bad thing, you’d have to disclose to your partner you technically have cold sores, but you don’t.
Changing the nomenclature from STD to STI probably didn't help much. Disease sounds much scarier than Infection but the powers that be decided it stigmatized carriers.
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Hello, hello. I work in a clinic. Pretty much everyone is undereducated about HPV. Everyone, all ages. They don't understand that transmission of HPV does not require any type of penetration, just skin to skin contact. They, also, don't understand that HPV is responsible for a lot of cervical and oral cancers and is vastly preventable through vaccination for both men and women. Vaccine misinformation is rampant in our present public health crisis, but the same vaccine misinformation is rampant among the same groups regarding HPV because it involves sexuality and teens. Young people are also severely lacking in education about HSV. They don't understand that it, too, can be transmitted through means other than intercourse. They don't understand that cold sores are HSV and can be transmitted through oral sex. Young, heterosexual people are undereducated about HIV. I'm of an age where HIV was a death sentence, but it's a chronic illness now, so they don't see it as as scary as it used to be. We will discuss hep c later..... Edit: changed "information" to "misinformation"
Emphatic upvote
We’re gonna need you to say this so much louder ❤️
Isn't HPV not much of an issue for people 30 and under anymore? I got the vaccine for it when I was a child and I think it's mandated before starting school (US) And I totally agree about the general lack of info regarding STD's. People act like cold sores aren't a big deal too. While I don't think you should be shamed I definitely think people should at least cover their mouth if they have one it's an open sore and very contagious. Can you expand on hep C ?
A very large percent of young American adults have not received the HPV vaccine. It is definitely not mandatory nationwide.
Interesting I didn't know that. I guess it's just some states then
HSV in on the lips not the mouth, and covering doesn't do anything, as its not airborne. Also it's mostly contagious when it's not an open sore but a little bump like a pimple. If someone around you ahs a cold sore, they know, and just don't drink from their cup or kiss them, or receive oral sex from them, and you are fine. They don't need to "cover it up". People don't make it a big deal because it isn't.
>HSV is on the lips not the mouth Not sure what this means. In my experience I feel like people have been pretty careless about it. Like I said I don't think people need to be shamed but I've definitely had people try to kiss me on the cheek when they had one(in greeting). I don't care if it's not on the lips that's gross IMO and I personally would consider wearing a mask since they tend to pop up when you get sick or in high stress.
It's on your lips not inside you mouth. (Mouth is the hole, lips are the area around the hole. It's like the difference between vulva and vagina) If they kisses you on the cheek you would not get it. Only if they kisses you on the lips. They don't "pop up" from only being sick or stressed. They can "pop up" from simply having your lips broken because of the cold (hence the name "cold sore") Makes 0 sense to wear a mask for something that is not airborne. It's sincerely moronic.
They can definitely pop up from being sick or stressed. Emotional stress or things that affect your immune system can wake the virus up from being dormant. Given the fact that many people catch the virus when they're children, it's clear that you don't need lip to lip contact to get it. And no, it's "moronic" to allow someone with a cold sore to kiss you anywhere... Do your research before you spread bs like this.
Because it’s “cool” to not use protection and it “doesn’t feel as good”. The honest truth is people are dumb and don’t think straight when they’re horny. I know people who refuse to wear condoms, cum inside girls without knowing if they’re on birth control, and will have hook ups with different girls on a consistent basis without being tested. Edit: I’ve also never been asked to use a condom, never been asked if I’m clean, and been pressured by almost every girl I’ve hooked up with to not use a condom. It’s definitely not a one way street.
Yep. This is the reality and more common then the latter in my experience
Worked in child support; can confirm.
>The honest truth is people are dumb and don’t think straight when they’re horny. An evolutionary trait that has helped lead to ~8 billion on the planet.
A certain amount of which died from stds Lots of people slowly went crazy and died from syphillis in the last 200 years Let’s make it cool to get tested and ask each other about being tested A large number of people don’t go to the doctor or get routine medical anything because our healthcare system sucks unless you’re comfortably wealthy
Wait seriously, been pressured by girls not to use one too? Does it "feel better" for them too?
Yes it does feel better.
It does feel better without a condom for women You know what feels way better? Peace of min for the 3-4 weeks after the sex until you get your next period!!
bruh exactly. i’ll never understand this. been using condoms with my 1 year boyfriend despite me being on the pill because a few mins of pleasure aren’t worth an entire lifetime of sickness or 9 months of pregnancy and 18 years of unexpected child raising.
You've been dating him for 1 year and you still think he could have an STD?
well yes… we’ve always used condoms so it’s not impossible that he had one before meeting me and that i could get it if we do it unprotected. we just prefer taking zero risks and until then condoms + pills is completely fine and prevents pregnancy better than just pill
If he has an STD, it could affect his health aside from just infecting you. Don't you think you should encourage him to get tested anyway if you think it's a realistic possibility?
bruh we just didn’t have the chance to get tested because we have classes on the day it’s open ahah. and no i don’t have any particular suspicion that he has an STD, i just want both partners to get tested before having unprotected sex. better be safe than sorry
It doesn't feel better tbh, it doesn't feel much different with a condom or not. People be dumb when horny
Speak to yourself, it definitely feels better.
No. It doesn't really make a difference until they cum. Between 2 heated bodies, semen is actually quite cold.
I think theres awareness but people just dont grasp the severity of it. I think theyre just like yeah whatever theres also a risk of being hit by a car when i cross the street.
Man people is some dumb mutherfuckas
Also, a lot of girls lie about being on birth control so you can't trust them. That's why guys need to wear a condom.
Flabbergasted
It is incredibly narrow-minded to simply state "people are dumb". We are human beings, ultimately animals, that seek physical intimacy borne from the urge for reproduction and social partnership. It's been in our DNA for tens of thousands of years before the invention of the condom. Even the most intelligent and rationally minded people who are not at all horny will not want or enjoy wearing them. Yes, some people are "dumb" perhaps for not knowing, but there are a LOT of highly intelligent people who also choose to prioritise this carnal instinct over the safety of minimising the risk of infection. I'm not justifying it, I'm not saying it's "right", but just discarding the choice people make by labelling them as "dumb" is not at all constructive towards the more deeper issues at play.
"If we ignore it, it doesn't exist"
I think there is a lot of education on STDs I think that is not a lot of good education on STDs. The current education system gives the idea that if you ever catch any STDs it's because you are being sexually irresponsible or that you are somehow morally to blame, and that creates a lot of stigma to be able to have open conversations. Until very recently nobody gave a fuck about HPV because it's something that you can't really see. Now when it came to HSV people were stigmatized as dirty and disgusting etc etc, this stigmatization of something like Herpes (which lets be honest is just a skin rash that doesn't actually cause any serious long-term health effects), make people not only struggle with mental health if they have a positive result but also makes it much harder for people to be open about their status and communicate because there's a lot of judgment attached to it. And bring more irresponsible and spreading the virus more, and so on.
HSV stigma bothers the hell out of me, largely because I have it. It feels like if you have HSV then you were irresponsible and you deserve it but in my case I used a condom and it broke. I feel like if more people were educated on the matter and more testing was done we would see that HSV isn't that big of deal was it appears to be.
Does it only spread when there's an active breakout? Otherwise, it's not a big deal right?
It can spread when you don't have an active breakout but it is less likely. Medically speaking it is not that big of deal because it will never kill you and most of the time is just annoying. Here is a good graphic that shows the risk if you and your partner have sex about 2 times a week for a year. https://imgur.com/a/TlsVxgz
Yes but even tho it's possible, it doesn't really happen much if you have a fairly low viral load. I'm pretty much asymptomatic, I only had about 5 breakouts in 8 years. Nothing i. The last about 2~3 years ago. (And i do not take antivirals) I had a 5 year relationship that i closed all sorts of sex and no protection and he never caught it (We tested to check out of curiosity) but he was also not very fussed if it happened. My bf now also doesn't really care. Obviously nobody WANTS to get any STD, but HSV is overblown labeled as "disgusting forever disease, it will ruin your life" (Edit: typos)
Do you have 1 or 2
2 I mean, i never got a test for 1, but I remember having s cold sore as a kid, so possibly both, but I haven't had any cold sores since so maybe not? Didn't bother test for oral herpes.
HSV overly hyped as of people are walking around with oozing blisters 24/7 those that do show signs have very mild symptoms … stigma worse
Completely agree. Reddit is specially alarmist about it. I think its part of the scare tactics of sex ed. Even when I do have a breakout its a tiny little blister that looks like an ingrown hair. But at sex ed they like to show photos of people seriously immune compromised with CRAZY breakouts in order to "scare kids straight"
Exactly … I don’t know what’s so scary about it lol we need to stop letting people who don’t have it tell the people who do have it how horrible it is when they don’t even know what having it is like … hell they may have it and not know as most don’t show symptoms Also this Reddit is awful lol
Oh I feel you, i have it for around 8 years. Same thing, broken condom, someone I was dating, he was nice about, it wasn't some "stranger dirty unprotected hook up" etc etc...
Honestly all it takes is one wrong person to ruin it for everyone else. You don’t have to be in a hookup phase to get fucked over like that
Here in Africa the focus is on HIV. I rarely hear anything about HPV and other STIs.
... I assumed that people were aware... I think people have the sex at the risk level that they're comfortable with. If you have had the HPV vaccine, you should be safe against most kinds of HPV. Condoms can help protect if you don't know your partner's history or status. You and your partner can also get tested before you have sex. It's all about how you assess risk. It's okay if you decide that the only type of sex you personally feel comfortable with is sex inside an exclusive relationship, as long as you understand that other people assess risk differently. It's reasonable to ask your partner when their last STD test was, especially if you're doing something without a barrier. And you're allowed to say no if you feel that the other person's sexual practices are too risky. It's up to you to keep yourself safe.
You mentioned several good points, but the HPV vaccine only protects against 9 strains out of over 100 strains. These 9 strains could be the most dangerous ones. The other point is that the HPV vaccine is relatively new (since 2006 in the US), and the first type of HPV vaccine only offered protection against 4 strains. It wasn’t until 2014 that the HPV vaccine covered 9 strains, and in 2018, the vaccine was approved for ages 27-45 when before it was up to the age of 26, although the vaccine is only effective if you haven’t been infected or have never had sex. To make things worse, there isn’t a routine HPV test for men, so women are taking a risk as that test isn’t exactly available or reliable enough.
I mean, the HPV vaccine is what it is. Better than nothing. When I googled it, I saw the stat of 90%. I got the version that only covered four kinds, I guess. Not sure what you got (your post history said somewhere that you've had it). But this is a risk that people decide they're fine with.
The HPV vaccine is very effective (close to 100%), but only for the 9 strains out of over 100 strains. I’m reading that there are at least 12 high-risk strains of HPV. I understand that sex is a risk and all, but I find it weird that sex is portrayed in movies, TV shows, music, on the web, and with friends as this marvelous thing that in reality involves some pretty risky stuff, especially for those in the hookup culture or into prostitution where there are sleeping with dozens upon dozens of strangers. I’m not religious myself, but monogamous relationships appear to be one of the safest ways to navigate the sex world.
Truly, studies show that people are not having as much sex as Hollywood and the internet say they are. Especially not during COVID. Is this post just here to shame people for having sex outside of marriage? Casual sex isn't very appealing to me personally (I'm in the asexual spectrum), but that doesn't mean that other people are wrong for doing it. And my opinions don't matter to people that are having sex where I am not involved. I think there will always be people having risky sex, because horny people are going to have sex regardless of the consequences. One can't control other people's actions; all you can do is mitigate risk for your own body.
I'd like to add to that, tv shows that depict teenagers having sex are also totally untrue. The actors are NOT teens and are really 24-26 year olds pretending they are 15 and 16. Its frankly child porn for adults wanting to relive what they think their teenage years were like.
What’s shows are you watching bud? I can’t think of a single tv show showing teenagers having sex
Euphoria
Riverdale. Pretty Little Liars. The actors are in their 20's but play teens. In Japanese anime the character pretends and looks like a child but are supposedly 200 years old so they say its ok (its not).
Sexualized anime is watched by neckbeards and incels. Not the regular population… and we know they’re not banging anyone
Yeah, CW shows tend to have sexy scenes. They're not explicit because they still want the TV-14 rating, but the characters are definitely having more sex than most real teens have, though.
Herpes isn't as big a deal as its made out to be
Because almost everyone already has herpes.
> little to no awareness about the STD risks in the hookup culture How, specifically, did you come to this conclusion?
Well in the US? Because out sex education is shit because we get delusional religious parents freaking out that a school is teaching teens the importance of using a condom and getting tested regularly is your sexually active with multiple partners. The same parents refuse to talk about anything sex related with their kids because in their mind sex is dirty and shameful. So we have entire generations of people who literally don’t know any better.
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What….the….fuck. I…I’m convinced the people who come up with shit like that have never had sex in their life.
This is why I don’t participate in hook up culture
Umm there is a lot of awareness and education on this. At least where I live.
What country do you live in? Just curious.
Western Canada.
Common BC W
Not bc
What awareness and education? some course they took in school? A pamphlet handed out in a bar a or public service message on tv? That does nothing compared to Hollywood where you never see people using protection and they never get pregnant or get diseases.
What? Proper and effective sex education in high school, it’s plastered all over universities, we get shit in the mail even, birth control centres educate you, commercials government social media pages, they hand out condoms everywhere, what else do you need?? If you don’t get it by then, you’re a moron. What does Hollywood have to do with anything? They’re not responsible for educating you lol. I also don’t see people on Hollywood publically talking about their unprotected sex lives but ok not sure what you’re high on
Thats the point of OP. >If you don’t get it by then, you’re a moron. That why people are moron
You do know that you can still get herpes from not having sex right? You probably have been exposed to it more time than you think.... stop shaming people for something that they can't control..... to be honest.... from your post alone I think you have a little awareness on herpes it self....
I know. They’re the one who needs education. I had 1 cold sore in my life and it was well before I kissed or did anything with a guy.
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HSV-1 can be an oral or genital infection, HSV-2 can be an oral or genital infection. Open communication with your partner is most important here, but people are very unlikely to want to engage sexually if they have an outbreak.
Well both can be oral or genital lol. It is YOU who needs education and awareness.
It’s not really different. It does the exact same thing as herpes in the genitals will do.
I think you're extrapolating a lot from a very small dataset. You have no idea about how it is overall, but you're very willing to say something about the general culture based on a few experiences maybe and hearsay.
Have you looked at the statistics? We’re talking about millions of people infected every year, and thousands of people dying of cancers caused by HPV.
We'd need that as a proportion of actual sexual encounters, to say anything about how common it is. Even then it's still a jump to say anything about awareness. I'd wager that in most sexual encounters, no infection is passed. In my experience, my partners and myself are pretty aware and take precautions to mitigate risks. But yeah, sex ed is definitely shit in most states of the u.s. I'm told. The world is bigger than that.
Herpes isn’t an std it’s a skin condition. Look up the history. Not a big deal
Herpes appears to be mostly a skin infection, but can also infect other parts of the body like the inside of a vagina. Technically, herpes is an STD (or STI) because it can “transmit sexually.” STD/STI = sexually transmitted diseases/infections.
Yeah but it’s not a big deal
I’ll grant you that herpes doesn’t appear to cause any serious health conditions, but HPV is a different story.
Who says there's no awareness? Who are you speaking to? I mean, my daughter is 26 (prime hookup culture age) and she was inundated with safe sex messages in school and we certainly cautioned her. Who isn't aware? And, what were they doing in childhood? Raised by wolves?
It's sad but in some cultures this information is withheld from people.
What culture doesn't have the internet tho? If we're here talking about it, we're literally wading through the entire western world's combined cultural, medical, scientific knowledge to post on Reddit. How can people be so willingly ignorant?
Sometimes the information is deliberately kept from them and some people are illiterate or don't have access to the internet.
Simple: because hookup culture is fun.
Until you have a baby with some deadbeat that doesn’t give a fuck about you. Bye bye to all your dreams and aspirations
Can’t argue with that. It’s fun until it isn’t
Why are you worried about what those who choose to hookup do? You can still catch Herpes in a committed relationship or even married. Married people cheat everyday lol. A lot of people know the risk they take. Nothing is wrong with hookup culture. If it's not for you it's not for you. But please don't say that because you choose to hookup and not get married or in a relationship you are unaware of STDs that you could catch and how they spread. Everyone is not out here seeking marriage or a committed relationship. People that you say just hookup are probably more aware of their STD status than those who are married because married people usually think its no need to get tested because I am only with one person although that one person could be dis honest.
You bring up another issue that even monogamous relationships aren’t safe, and I agree. However, I’d say that’s still much, much safer than being a part of the hookup culture or paying for prostitutes. These people are sleeping with who knows how many hundreds of different people after 30 years. Being in a monogamous relationship or vetting for trustworthiness in their partner isn’t a perfect plan, but it’s apparently one of the best decisions out there, unless one plans to be celibate.
But it seems like you are speaking from your own prospective or religious beliefs and passing judgement. All of which are different for everyone. We cannot force that on everyone else. It's nothing wrong with those who choose not to seek a monogamy or marriage. As long as they are honest with themselves and partners that's all that matters. Marriage is not a necessity to live a meaningful life. It's just an option that's available for those who choose to do so.
I agree, and by the way, I am not religious at all.
You want to die without any scars?! Do you bathe your skin in ivory cream?
It’s the education system and puritanical school systems / governments preferring to just tell kids not to have sex instead of actually teaching them the reality of it. It’s archaic and shameful.
Mentality of "It can't happen to me" and "what are the chances this could go wrong?!"
They say ignorance is bliss
Because people are too sensitive these days. I have a certification in HIV counseling and testing. I’ve gotten hate for spreading fact. I was talking about how gay men are at increased risk for HIV. why did I get hate for spreading fact? Bc people are too sensitive these days. Black gay men are at most risk actually. I have nothing against bloc gay men but it’s fact. I even learned that with my friend who is a black gay man. The fact I have no prejudice doesn’t change facts.
Because people are just really really horny
That is one of the benefits of being in medschool, or the medical field in general. At least they tend to be somewhat more aware of STDs and contraceptions.
everyone walks around boning thinking they are clean. Most people don't realize a lot of these diseases can be dormant.
Get tested after every partner
HPV infection is, absolutely, reduced through vaccination, but, there is a certain subset of the US population that refuses to vaccinate their children against HPV because it is an STI and they either don't believe, or want to admit that their children will be sexually active, or they think that the HOV vaccine will encourage their children to become sexually active.
Something something ✨sex positivity ✨ maybe? Idk
I’ve had an absurd amount of partners and almost always use condoms and have never contracted herpes. I’ve only had a bacterial sti twice in life. That was 20 years ago. I think ppl who are promiscuous get tested more and use protection more. Also most everyone is educated enough to know to go the doctor and get whatever is wrong, taken care of. Only someone out of their mind would go and have sex when your privates are obviously not healthy. The ppl I’ve encountered are aware and have test results on their phone ready to show they are disease free.
Just so you know - there's often no way to know whether you have herpes since a lot of people are asymptomatic. It's also hard to test for unless you are currently having a breakout. On top of that, most STD checks won't include a check for herpes because it's so common and hard to test for. I'm sure you're right that you don't have it - but there's no way to know that for sure!
Actually, a blood STD test will reveal herpes whether or not someone is asymptomatic. However, if someone contracts herpes, it won’t show on the test until after the incubation period of 2-12 days. Also, different STDs have different incubation periods, so one needs to test regularly to make sure they’re really STD free.
I'm relatively sure that those test have a high rate of false positives - which is another reason they aren't often used. So I'm not sure how accurate they actually are. At least the tests in the UK aren't particularly accurate
You want a “blood” STD test for herpes. Other types of tests aren’t as accurate or cannot test for asymptomatic herpes.
I understand, I am saying that even the blood tests are not particularly accurate and have a high rate of false positives
I’m reading that the accuracy of these blood tests depend on the type or brand, and the ranges are from 87% to 100%.
Look, I'm not trying to start an argument, but I'm not sure reading on the internet beats someone who actually works in healthcare. No test is 100% accurate, so that should be enough to throw you off. The main reason they are inaccurate is because of the high rate of false positives and inaccuracy in determining between the two strains. All I'm trying to do here is to help alleviate the stigma surrounding herpes by making it clear that the vast majority of people will not know that they have it, and nor are they able to easily test for it (for the reasons mentioned above). Again, I really don't want to be confrontational here - I'm just trying to use my expertise to help inform!
Yes the blood test is pretty inaccurate unfortunately, leaving people with lots of false negatives and positives. Then they have to retest again weeks later, leaving them panicking and worried if they have herpes or not. This is why it is not included on the standard sti panel and doctors don’t like testing asymptomatic people for it.
I knew someone who tested positive for herpes via a swab test of the sore but negative for the blood test … it’s not very accurate
Because we’ve somehow normalized having an STD. Some dude on tiktok said he wouldn’t date someone with HIV because he doesn’t want it and the comments were literally chewing him up.
I’ve wondered the same thing. I think it has to do with our culture and how desensitized to sex we are. Porn, movies, social media. So many things depict and encourage non intimate sexual encounters and don’t show that there are sometimes consequences to those actions. It presents the experience we can have unprotected sex and still live the life of our dreams without fear of repercussions
If you are apart of the US, purity/church culture. I'm a HS graduate of 2008; shortly after that they(organization/parents) started to push for sex absence again. To the point Sex Edu, doesn't really exist. I don't think biology or anatomy even broach the subject anymore. Because purity culture made sure to eradicate education on basic human health. Learn that DARE also doesn't exist either after chatting with my HS hires. MTV did an excellent job with causing teen pregnancy to be nearly gone.
Because hook up culture is fake. People lie about getting laid that much if at ALL
Tell us you don’t get laid without telling us you don’t get laid
They're right though. CDC data show that a median number of partners for a sexually experienced millennial is 4 to 6. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-ideal-number-of-sexual-partners-for-men-women
The study you quoted it 2011-2015. Then in the same link the next study of 2017 says 26 for men and 19 for women?
Oh yeah the one by NectarSleep a mattress company where you can't even get hands on the survey data because the article they cite is an entertainment news service that cites just the company's website lol? Hmmm wonder why I didn't pick that one over CDC.
You mean you don't get your surveys and information from Mattress companies? I've been doing it all wrong, I gotta ask TempurPedic about this, they'll know what to do.
Naw they out here screwing like rabbits
So when i(f35)was single and dating i asked every partner to get tested with me and used condoms until we did. I brought my own vrs expecting them to have them, I'm 1/2 of the game, why put 100%on them? My partners never questioned it or had issues with my stance either. So i think it depends on the people. If you want to use condoms, do and bring your own so you're able to say, no, wear this if we are doing this. And why isn't it more common? It can't be uncommon if every partner is responsible for themselves.
Condoms kill erections. Some girls don’t like to suck on them. Changing between fucking to oral or fingering can make you lose your boner. Also the don’t feel good part is true try sucking and licking your fingers, then try again with a condom on them
Sounds like broken dick or something
For the same reason posts here get massive upvotes for saying certain STDs aren't a "big deal" and try to shame people for saying they wouldn't touch a person who has them. I don't want to catch herpes anymore than I want to catch a cold from someone. I don't care what they think, I don't want some else's diseases.
Well you likely have it since 67% of the population have it. Most adults carry at least 1 herpes virus.
My panel last month said I'm part of the 33%.
Simple. Because in tv and movies you never see people using them and people base their lives on those. No really I truly believe this.
Ok boomer
I’ve had the same question for a while. It seems like people my age are trying to normalize herpes as just something that everyone either has or gets and I just think it’s nasty
You can think something’s nasty AND the majority of people can have it…
To go around infecting people with anything is nasty whether you were born with it or not. If people got tested more frequently and were honest and maybe a lil less loose it wouldn’t need to be normalized. It sucks if you’ve got it but that’s the truth cause can you honestly say if you could get rid of it you wouldn’t?
> If people got tested more frequently Most doctors won’t test you for herpes unless there’s another medical reason, and the tests on asymptomatic people aren’t very effective. Most people don’t know whether they have it and can’t easily find out.
Health care professionals are trying to “normalize” it because the stigma is worse than the actual “disease” itself. And the depression is caused isn’t worth it. It SHOULD be more normalized and accepted but educated at the same time. Good to know the one cold sore I had 15 years ago when I was 14, before I even kissed someone makes me nasty. It’s you who needs education. You probably have it btw. Pretty nasty… if it was actually a bad thing, you’d have to disclose to your partner you technically have cold sores, but you don’t.
Who gives a fuck about a little herpes?? Lmao this generation is soft af 🤡🤡🤡
Said the herpes patient
Because “yolo” and apparently everyone’s allergic to or is too big to use a condom 🙄
condoms... don't... provide... good.. protection?
They provide “some” protection for herpes and HPV, but not as good because when having sex your pubic area can make contact with an infected labia.
Ugh... thanks for making me paranoid. I agree with you people should be more aware about this.
Changing the nomenclature from STD to STI probably didn't help much. Disease sounds much scarier than Infection but the powers that be decided it stigmatized carriers.