As you sit in class discreetly reading the Daily while pretending to pay attention to your professor, look to the person on your right, the person on your left, and that cute guy or girl in front of you. According to statistics, one of you has genital herpes.
Still not worried about STDs? A study by the University of North Carolina says that one in two sexually active people will contract an STD by the time they are 25 years old.
Approximately 65 million people in the United States are currently living with a viral STD. Fifteen million more people contract an STD every year, and about half of these people are between the ages of 15-24.
With such an abundance of STDs in this country, and specifically on college campuses, how can you be sure that your next sexual partner doesn't have one? The answer is that you can't...unless you ask.
That said, picture yourself in this situation: You're at some frat party (if you can manage to find one these days) and after drinking a few beers you start chatting up that hot guy or girl from your English class. An hour goes by and TUPD comes to shut the party down at midnight - but don't despair! The hottie invites you back to his or her room and you consent.
Things are going well as you start passionately making out. Soon your partner's hands start stroking and slowly moving south. Suddenly you blurt out, "Do you have any STDs?"
Talk about killing the mood.
So how does one go about bringing up the subject of STDs without spoiling the "moment"? Asking to inspect your partner's genitals for red, oozing blisters is obviously out of the question. Here are some suggestions:
1. If possible, try to bring it up outside of the bedroom.
2. Tell a funny STD story. Did you know that you can get chlamydia from rats and cats?
3. Ask, "Do you want to hop into the shower and get clean?" When he or she immediately screams "Yes!" add, "By the way, are you clean?"
4. For those who like to incorporate dirty talk in bed, say, "Feeling your luscious lips kissing my lips is really turning me on. It would turn me on even more if I knew the last time you'd been tested."
5. Have some STD pamphlets from Health Services lying around in an attempt to provoke conversation about STDs.
6. Play a sexual game of "Never have I ever." ("Never have I ever kissed someone here." "Never have I ever been handcuffed." "Never have I ever had chlamydia.")
7. As you start going south ask, "Do we have to be extra careful or are we both clean?"
8. Play the song "The Seed" by The Roots, and when you hear the line, "I push it naked cuz I've taken my test," ask, "Do you?"
9. Ask your partner if he or she has ever used a flavored condom or dental dam. Talk about why you would need a flavored condom or dental dam. (Answer: to protect against STDs during oral sex). Note: You can also use saran wrap with flavored lube for protection during cunnilingus or analingus (it's cheaper and just as safe).
10. Post a copy of this article above your bed, point to it in the midst your heavy petting session, and say, "Hey, did you read that one?"
Some of you might be tempted to skip these questions and just look for signs of STDs on your partner's genitals. You might be on the lookout for the thick yellow-green drip from a man's penis characteristic of gonorrhea, or maybe the small, bumpy warts characteristic of human papilloma virus (HPV). Unfortunately, many signs and symptoms of STDs do not show up for days or even months after contraction. Even worse, many men and women never exhibit any signs or symptoms of STDs.
It's also important to note that although condoms do help prevent STDs, even proper use does not ensure that you won't become infected. Herpes, HPV, and syphilis can all be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact in areas the condom does not cover.
Whether engaging in vaginal, anal or oral sex, it is important to know for sure whether your partner has been tested. If your partner has not been tested, refer him or her to Tufts' Health Services. Tufts Student Health Insurance does cover STD testing and many private insurance companies will also cover the tests. Although the cost of an STD test might seem expensive, the cost of not getting tested can be even worse - some STDs left untreated can lead to cancer, infertility, and even heart disease - not to mention the fact that you will keep spreading the STD to your partners.
That said, go out there, have fun, have sex, but most importantly: be safe. It's a jungle out there and who knows what sorts of diseases those Jumbos have.
