Myths & Facts
Most people with HPV don’t know that they’re infected and never develop any symptoms. Cancer can even take years to develop after a person gets HPV. This is why the CDC recommends that individuals get the HPV vaccination at ages 11–12 to protect against these cancers.
Are you going to become sexually active, with whom, and when? If you wait to have sex until marriage, that’s referred to as sexual abstinence. As long as you are sexually active you should remember that contracting an STI is a possibility, even if you only have one sexual partner.
During oral sex, you can give your partner your STI and you can get theirs. Not all STIs are transmitted through oral sex, but some are. For example, if your partner has a cold sore and performs oral sex on you, you could become infected with herpes in your genital area. Understanding Your Birth Control Options Not ready for children? In fact, there are so many, it can be challenging to choose the right one.
Understanding your body, your partner’s body, and fact vs. fiction when it comes to sexual health is vital to making informed decisions for your health. We understand that sexual health can sometimes be an uncomfortable topic to discuss, but if you have any questions at all, we encourage you to consult with your healthcare provider. With that said, if you prefer more privacy when it comes to your sexual health and testing, consider taking an at-home STD test for women or at-home STD test for men. While conception is most likely when intercourse occurs a few days before or during ovulation, it is still possible to get pregnant during your period. Sperm can live in the female body for up to five days after sexual intercrouse under the right conditions, so in some cases sperm can fertilize an egg a few days after it has been released in ovulation.
STDs can be cured or treated with medication to prevent a person with an STD from spreading it to their sexual partner. But even having unprotected sex during this time only leads to a 20% chance of getting pregnant, Dr. Maureen Whelihan, an OB/GYN at the Center for Sexual Health and Education told Self. Perhaps this "fact" facts about sexuality is a way to scare teens away from sex or at least into having protected sex, but fertility varies from person to person and unprotected sex doesn't always result in a pregnancy. What's more, most early iterations of sexual education class omitted important information about sex in the LGBTQ community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 96% of teenagers enrolled in school are taught some sort of formal sexual education before they turn 18. Although homosexuality was once thought to be a mental illness, the American Psychiatric and Psychological Associations no longer consider it to be one.
This balance of bacteria creates an acidic environment within the vagina that helps protect it from infections or irritations. That said, the best way to clean the vagina is to rinse it in the shower with warm water and mild or unscented soap. There can be a risk for HIV or another blood-borne infection if the instruments used for piercing or tattooing either are not sterilized or disinfected between clients. Any instrument used to pierce or cut the skin should be used once and thrown away. They should show you what precautions they use, or don't get pierced or tattooed there.
The benefits of safe sex include reduced chances of getting a sexually transmitted disease from vaginal, oral and anal sex and better protection from unwanted pregnancies. With all the wealth of information available, it pays to be informed. When it comes to both the female and male body, optimal sexual health typically includes sexual desire, normal function of sexual organs, and maintaining reproductive health. Knowing more about sexual health is important for making informed decisions about sexual intercourse, hygiene, reproductive health, and pregnancy. Rape myths are damaging and false beliefs about rape and sexual assault that are perpetuated when individuals make judgments about survivors based on these inaccurate beliefs. There are many misconceptions about sexual offenses, sexual offense victims, and sex offenders in our society.
Recent studies show that rates of physical and sexual abuse vary widely for adolescent sex offenders; 20 to 50% of these youth experienced physical abuse and approximately 40 to 80% experienced sexual abuse . While many adolescents who commit sexual offenses have histories of being abused, the majority of these youth do not become adult sex offenders . Research shows that teens who choose to be sexually active average 4 partners each.