STI Myth Busting

By Cami Armijo-Grover

My child is allergic to penicillin, and I'm probably one of the only mothers whose first thought upon hearing this news was, "What if she gets syphilis?" She was three years old at the time, but as a sex educator, I spend a lot of time thinking about STIs!

And since that isn't the case for most people, there are a few things I think we should all know about STIs. They are:

STIs are very common! 50% of people have oral herpes (you're not the only one with cold sores) and 50-90% of people who don't receive the Gardasil vaccine will get HPV at some point in their lives (that's the one that can lead to cervical cancer or genital warts).

You can have an STI without showing any symptoms. Everything looks fine, everything feels fine, but that doesn't mean everything is fine. This is why it is so important to get tested between each new sexual partner.

Bacterial STIs can be cured! If you have chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis, antibiotics can cure your infection. If you have HPV, herpes, or HIV, we can talk about treatments to help you manage your symptoms and decrease the likelihood that you'll pass it on to a partner.

STIs aren’t ageist! Some older adults may think it's ok to have sex with a new partner without a condom because pregnancy is no longer a concern. But chlamydia is, as are all the other STIs. It is always wise to use condoms and get tested folks!

Getting tested doesn't hurt! If you have a penis, fear not! Your provider will not stick a swab up there to test for STIs. Depending on what STI they're testing for, our providers may ask you to pee in a cup, take a bit of blood or break out a swab. Don't worry, you can often self-swab and the swabs are only for the mouth, anus, and vagina!

P.S. Oh, and rest assured, if you also are allergic to penicillin, there are alternative treatments for syphilis. Stay safe out there folks!