MYTHS about STDs that can hurt YOU

First some facts. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there are more than 20 types of STDs that cause nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted disease (STD)

infections each year, half of them among young people ages 15 to 24. STDs affect men and women of all backgrounds and economic levels, and add an estimated $16 billion to the nation’s healthcare costs each year.

That qualifies as an epidemic. And it’s scary.

Now to the myths.

1. If I trust the guy/girl I’m seeing, worrying about STDs isn’t necessary. Maybe you think the relationship has reached a level of trust that assures he/she would tell you if there was cause to worry. Don’t rely on that. He/she may be asymptomatic (have no symptoms at all) and have no idea they’ve contracted an STD. You must also consider that even with a confirmed diagnosis, the fear that a confession will end the relationship might convince a guy or girl to hide the truth, hoping against hope that the infection won’t be passed along. Trust does not equal safe.
2.  Anyway, I’d be able to tell if he/she has an STD. Not so. At all. Looking, sniffing or sifting through what you know about the person will not tell you if that person has an STD. Handsome and muscled. Gorgeous and feminine. The picture of perfect health. None of that is a guarantee. Only a test can confirm the absence or presence of an STD.
3. We’re both virgins so it’s impossible for either of us to have an STD. That’s not a fact you can be take to the bank. Maybe neither of you have had actual sexual intercourse, but if either of you have previously engaged in oral sex or intimacy that stopped just short of intercourse, it’s possible to have contracted an STD. Again, without a test you can’t be sure.

It almost seems impossible to even fathom but consider with me for a minute if  no one in the history of mankind ever had sex with anyone except his/her spouse—no premarital sex, no extramarital sex. Only married couples having sex with a spouse.

I have very serious doubts that STDs would exist at all. And wouldn’t that be completely amazing?

Of course that’s not what happened. Not even close.

So, we’re left with the very gripping reality that many sexually transmitted diseases have infected millions of people, creating a host of medical issues, some of which will last a lifetime. Not to mention the complications to romantic relationships and marriages in the future.

If you have the slightest inkling you may have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, get tested and seek treatment. Resist the temptation to pretend the possibility doesn’t exist. Find out for sure and get treated if your suspicion proves to be true. If you’re disease-free, distance yourself from the behavior that gave you cause to worry.

If your past contains one or more sexual partners, whether it seems necessary or not, get tested. If you’re disease free, awesome. Keep it that way by saying “No” to any kind of sexual involvement. If you’re not disease free, get the needed treatment and choose to pursue renewed abstinence—no further sexual activity, of any kind, until marriage.

Remove the risk of exposing yourself to an STD.

Protect your health.

Protect your future.

Protect the health and future of your future spouse.

Commit to saving sex or any more sexual experiences for marriage.

Another one of the many reasons to save sex for marriage.

Drop me a line at waitingmatters@gmail.com OR post a comment on your thoughts about STDs, saving sex for marriage OR what you’d like to see discussed on this blog. I’d love to hear from YOU!