Tag Archives: stds

Dear Wendy: “When’s The Best Time To Discuss STDs?”

Wendy AtterberryNovember 7, 2010 //

After getting dumped by my boyfriend of five years (and some time to get over that), I’ve recently re-entered the dating world. So far it’s a lot like I remember it to be; however, the only difference is that this time I’m not a virgin, and neither are most of the people I’ve been out with. And while I’m not quite ready to leap into bed with anyone, I’m becoming increasingly confused about the appropriate time to broach the subject of getting tested for STDs. Is there a way to bring up the topic without being offensive? I feel like I’m being a bit of a prude here, but after working for a college health center for a few years, and seeing the damage that STDs can do, I’m just not interested in putting my health at risk, even in the name of love. — Cleared for Takeoff

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Dear Wendy: “My Boyfriend Cheated On Me Without Protection”

Wendy AtterberrySeptember 2, 2010 //

About two months ago, I left my 39-year-old live-in boyfriend of three and half years. When I left, I was pissed and hurt that, for four months, I spent all my spare time helping him get ready to open his bar, and then, once it opened, he was out at all hours, drinking, hanging with customers and not letting me know when he’d be home or what his plans were. I am 31 and we both want to have kids soon (marriage isn’t an issue) and this behavior had been going on for three months when I left. I understood that the bar-ownership meant late nights, but I wasn’t OK with him coming home at 4 AM half-drunk every morning without so much as a text the night before. Anyway, the night I left, I told him why I was leaving and asked him to give me some time. I came back 5 days later having made the decision to work things out. But three weeks later, I found out he had sex with some bar chick on the floor of the bar office THE NIGHT I left. Now, I understand that I left and (in his mind, anyway) he had free reign; I can get over the fact that he f**ked some other girl. What I can’t get over is that he didn’t use a condom, didn’t tell me and then had sex with me after I came back. I have gotten the full battery of tests and I’m negative, but that’s not the point. My issue is that he deceived me in such way that it put my health at risk. We’re still together two months after the fact. But … am I crazy for not being out of my mind with anger that he screwed some random chick after I left? Am I crazier that my real issue is that he put my health at risk? How do you rebuild trust after something like this? — Illogical Scientist

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AIDS Group Files Complaint Against Larry Flynt Over Condom-less Porn

Jessica WakemanAugust 27, 2010 //

AIDS activists have filed a workplace safety complaint against Hustler honcho Larry Flynt over the amount of condom-less sex in all of his skin flicks. On Thursday, activists descended upon Los Angeles’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health office with 100 DVDs to show that only one scene in one porno showed a performer using a condom. Condoms, of course, help protect against the spread of HIV. Keep reading »

Getting A Disease Has Never Been Cuter

Carli Alexa BlauJune 30, 2010 //

Getting a disease or sickness has never been something that anyone looked forward to, but now you just might. These giant plush microbes are stuffed animals of diseases like syphilis, herpes, anthrax, and mad cow, which are only some of the many different stuffed diseases that are available. Giving someone herpes or the kissing disease doesn’t have to be such a bad thing now, after all it’s cute, fuzzy and comfortable to sleep with. These stuffed toys come in all different cells, diseases, and viruses, and while they make a great gag gift for a friend, they can even be a great get-well gift too. Now when you tell your friend “I’m sorry you have the flu,” you can give them the stuffed animal that goes along with it too. Happy sneezes! [ThinkGeek] Keep reading »

“Jersey Shore” House Is STD Central

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comJune 7, 2010 //


For all those folks out there who like to “Gym, Tan, Laundry,” the highlight of last night’s MTV Movie Awards actually came during the pre-show, where viewers were treated to the first 10 minutes of “Jersey Shore” season two. In the clip, the cast members begin the road trip to Miami—Pauly D and the Situation get their car stuck in the mud while setting off fireworks and J-Woww and Snooki get hit on by a clueless South Carolina boy. The clip was actually pretty cute, and a good reminder that this crew is fascinating even when they’re not trashed and hooking up in hot tubs. Speaking of, one of the most common questions I heard after the first season of the show was, “How do they not get STDs?” Well, apparently, they do. All the time. Keep reading »

Gardasil’s Scare Tactic Ads Do More Harm Than Good, One Woman Says

Susannah BreslinMay 12, 2010 //

Lux Alptraum has written an intriguing piece for Jezebel, “The HPV Vaccine’s Misguided Scare Tactics.” Alptraum argues that Merck, which manufactures Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, uses scare tactics in its commercials to push women to get the HPV vaccine, thereby driving more money into Merck’s deep pockets. One commercial features an animated woman going to the gynecologist for her annual pap smear and finding out she has full-blown cervical cancer. The music is grim. The tone is doomed. An alarmist vibe permeates the tale. In fact, Alptraum says, women who get annual pap smears are highly unlikely to develop cervical cancer, if HPV is caught early. In addition, the woman in the ad is white, while the fastest growing group of women getting diagnosed with cervical cancer is Hispanic women. Alptraum isn’t against Gardasil; she got it. But we agree that terrifying women is no way to get them to pursue good gynecological health practices. Watch the ad, read the story, and decide for yourself. [Jezebel] Keep reading »

Sex With Susannah: “He Rejected Me Because I Have Herpes”

Susannah BreslinMarch 10, 2010 //

I met the most amazing man four months ago. We recently started to date, and I realized there was no doubt in my mind he is the one. Last night I opened up to him as things got steamy, and he went for a condom. I told him my ex gave me herpes, and we should never have sex without a condom. He froze, put his shirt back on, and told me to leave. I have never been more devastated. I was apprehensive about telling him, but my friends and family assured me that if he cared about me like he really said, he would work around it. I truly love this man and would totally understand if he stopped talking to me completely. All I care about is his happiness and safety. But this whole ordeal has made me think that I will have to settle for someone who will have to settle with me and my disease. Like the true love I feel for this man will never be mine completely or will be ignored because of this horrible infection I have. My self-worth has diminished to nothing, and I fear I will never be able to love or be loved. Please … help. – The Love Struck Statistic

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Husband Injects Wife With HIV To Get Laid

YourTango.comDecember 13, 2009 //

Of all the crazy schemes men use to get laid, this one has got to rank at the most vile. That’s both saying a lot and putting this catastrophe mildly.

According to a report at The Huffington Post, a 35-year-old HIV-positive man in New Zealand injected his sleeping HIV-negative wife with the virus so she’d pony up and have sex with him. Keep reading »

New Pap Smear Recommendations Could Increase STDs Among Black Teens

Annika HarrisDecember 7, 2009 //

Going to the gynecologist is never a pleasant experience, but most responsible women suck it up at least once a year to have an annual pap smear. The new pap smear recommendations say women should delay getting their first test until they’re 21, regardless of whether they’re sexually active. But for some women, the pap and fear of developing cervical cancer were the only reasons they went to the doctor in the first place, and once they were in the stirrups, their doctor could examine them for signs of STDs. The new pap guidelines mean a whole generation, mainly teens, will be unlikely to get tested for STDs and STIs as they begin having sex. Black teens are especially at risk; find out why after the jump. Keep reading »

New HIV Vaccine May Make Huge Advances In Reducing Infection

Leonora EpsteinSeptember 24, 2009 //

Some exciting news in the medical world: a new HIV vaccine, called RV 144, has proved effective in reducing infection rates of the sexually transmitted disease by 31 percent. A combination of two previously tested vaccines, the formula was administered to some 16,000 people in Thailand as part of a three-year research program. Half the participants received a placebo, 74 percent of whom became infected with HIV. Comparatively, only 51 percent of the vaccinated group became infected. (Side note: Wow, still … those are some pretty scary odds.) Interestingly, the American military played a role in the program because HIV poses a “national security threat.” Keep reading »

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