Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Blog

A retirement community in Arizona has been learning about safer sex. Yes, it's true, people have sex well into their golden years, and they enjoy it to.. Unfortunately, most older adults don't realize that they're at risk of STDs and that 15 percent of all new HIV diagnoses worldwide are in adults over 50. Doctors don't realize it either, and many of them are reluctant to discuss sexual issues with their older clients. I say, "Get over it!" If you're uncomfortable thinking about older adults having sex, just think how uncomfortable you'd be when you're older if you weren't having any...

• STDs and the Elderly
• STDs You Should Know About
• HIV Testing Information<

Surprise, surprise, the army is giving away free condoms. Well, not so much the army as one garrison in Germany that actually recognizes that condoms are an effective way to protect soldiers against sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. I was prepared to be shocked that the army had enacted such a sensible policy under the current government, but it being one sensible officer's initiative makes a lot more sense. It's disappointing, but a lot more believable. Who knows, maybe if the German garrison sees some good results, the rest of the army will follow suit in this very efficient way of promoting safer sex? One can always hope...

• Do You Have a Condom?
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases You Should Know About
• HIV Overview
• The Mechanics of Safer Sex

I was horrified to read about a Florida lawsuit where a school superintendent claimed that a student organized gay-straight alliance (GSA) violated the district's abstinence-only policy. My issues with abstinence-only education aside, GSAs aren't about sex, they're about tolerance. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered teens are at substantially higher risk of suicide and depression than their straight classmates, at least in part because of the enormous amount of abuse they are subject to in schools. Anything that makes the lives of GLBT students a little easier is worthwhile in my book, even if they're prohibited from talking about sex. An inclusive group, where membership isn't based on sexual orientation but on a belief in tolerance and acceptance of everyone's humanity, shouldn't be against any school policy.

• My Top 10 Reasons to Support Comprehensive Sex Education.

A recent study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases suggests that your genes may be yet another factor that affects your susceptibility to outbreaks if you're infected by the herpes virus. Most people who are living with herpes never know that they are infected. Why then, is it that some people have such frequent outbreaks? There are many environmental factors, such as sun exposure and stress, that affect the likelihood of having an outbreak, but it looks like genetic factors may play a role as well. Scientists at the University of Utah have located a group of genes that seem to greatly affect a person's chance of having frequent cold sores.

• Genital Herpes
• Living with Herpes
• Cold Sore, Canker, or Chancre?

No matter what national policy makers are saying, parents of Minnesota teens seem to have the right idea. In a recent study, almost 90% of parents supported the use of comprehensive sex education in schools, with relatively few parents objecting to even the most controversial subjects that might be discussed in such a program. The parents seem to think that since comprehensive education is more effective than abstinence-only education it's what should be taught. Sounds so logical when you put it that way, doesn't it?

• The Problem With Virginity Pledges
• Why Teens are More Susceptible to Cervical Infection

Another nail in the coffin for abstinence-only education is a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health that found that while comprehensive sex education significantly reduced the number of teen pregnancies, and seems to have slightly reduced the number of teens engaging in sexual intercourse, abstinence-only education did neither. Unfortunately, neither form of sex education reduced the number of STDs reported by adolescents, so there's still more work to do, but that may be due less to ineffectual education and more to do with a lack of testing to show the full scope of the STD problem. will this study finally convince the stalwart right-wingers that they've got nothing to lose by at least giving teenagers good information? Probably not, but a sex educator can dream.

• Why You Should Support Comprehensive Sex Education
• STD Testing Basics
• Top STDs That Should Be On Your Radar

There's a problem with HPV testing as a diagnostic measure for cervical cancer. HPV is just too common. As I mentioned in the previous blog post, most women with HPV infections, even those high-risk strains, kick the virus on their own within a year. That's great for the women, but leads to an expensive problem for the doctors. How much follow-up is really necessary? No doctor wants to miss an early case of cervical cancer, but if seemingly dormant strains of HPV are as common as they seems to be, a lot of women are going to be getting a lot of testing that they may not really need. That's why it's so important for HPV testing to be done in combination with Pap smears, to try and separate those infections that are a problem from the ones that are just hanging around.

• HPV Overview
• Should I Get an HPV Test or a Pap Smear?

Some scientists are recommending that, for women with a positive HPV test but a negative Pap smear, the proper course of action is to wait and see. In a recent study of 800 women with positive HPV tests and negative Pap smears, researchers found that 55% of women cleared the infection on their own within 6 months and 67% within 12 months. Those women for whom infection persisted a year or more were at a significantly increased risk of cervical cancer, but a positive HPV test alone in the absence of any visible changes to the cervix is something that many women are capable of handling without treatment. So, ladies, if your HPV test comes back positive, let your doctor keep an eye on your cervix, but there's a good chance that you can heal yourself.

• HPV Overview
• Should I Get an HPV Test or a Pap Smear?

A new campaign in England has cabbies handing out condoms to their late night couple clients. It's not a bad idea. Maybe other cities should implement it. After all, individuals who take cab home, because they're too drunk to walk or take public transportation, probably aren't prepared to make sensible decisions about safer sex either.

• How To Use a Male Condom
• The Mechanics of Safer Sex

According to the International Herald Tribune, Brazil has opened a factory dedicated to making environmentally friendly condoms. The condoms will be made from rubber tapped from rain forest rubber trees by local tappers who will preserve the health and integrity of the forest. Not only will the factory provide jobs, it will also provide safety for the nation. All the condoms produced in the factory will be distributed by the government, for free, as part of its anti-AIDS program. Next up... sustainable organic sex-ed?

• Do You Have a Condom?
• HIV/AIDS Overview