Tag Archives: sti

Girl Talk: My First Sex Partner Gave Me Herpes

M. AlexanderJune 21, 2011 //

“I have to introduce you to my cousin Logan*,” my childhood friend told me emphatically one weekend when I was home from college. “He’s really good looking—if he were taller he could be a model.”

“… OK,” I answered with trepidation. I was 19, and my freshman year of college at a small, cloistered university in the middle of the Bible Belt was not going well. My stomach turned to knots. I was trying so hard to fit in without fitting in that it was driving me crazy. For some reason it felt like if I got involved with a guy it would fix things. Logan was 24 and seemed nice enough.

The problem was, I was a virgin when we met, and at 19 I was among the last of my friends. Virtually inexperienced, I felt it was time to get it over with. In hindsight I should’ve listened to my gut. Keep reading »

Girl Talk: Vajazzling My Genital Warts Made Me Feel Better About Having An STI

Rachel Rabbit WhiteApril 6, 2011 //

If you have sex with 20 people, you will get genital warts. At least, that is how I framed it to my friends. My pillows had seen more than a few DIY haircuts when I saw something downtown, too: bumps. I knew it was an STI. Genital warts, to be honest, but I wasn’t ready to be. Maybe it’s razor burn? I thought, instead of facing facts. Or just ingrown hairs? Maybe if I grew out a ‘70s bush it will go away?

Yeah, it didn’t. Keep reading »

Girl Talk: I’ve Got An STD

AnonymousAugust 25, 2010 //

There are few moments in life more heart-stopping than realizing that there is something not right in your panties. A close second are the frantic Google searches you conduct with one shaking hand while aiming a mirror at your crotch with the other.

I was on the toilet when I first felt the strange patches of raised skin. Because they weren’t painful, the alarm took a moment to register. But when I got a closer look at the disturbance — bumpy white growths around the opening of my vagina — I immediately began to cry.

They’re called genital warts because that’s what they look like. I held out hope that I had some kind of simple, unshameful infection that could be cleared up with antibiotics until my gynecologist uttered the phrase. If I hadn’t already felt like retching, that truly disgusting combination of words probably would have done it. Keep reading »

Frisky PSA: Safe Sex Is Fun Sex!

Justine FieldsJune 12, 2009 //

Have you been tested lately? California health officials announced yesterday that an actress in the porn industry has been diagnosed with HIV––just another reminder to be safe when you’re having fun in bed. This is the first publicized case of HIV from the industry since 2004 (although the California health records show 22 HIV cases total since 2004). According to Steven Hirsch, an executive at Vivid Entertainment Group, the adult film industry has pumped out over 100,000 films since 2004 (whoa that’s an insane amount of porn), so having this few cases shows how successful the health practices have been in the business. While actors are required to be tested within 30 days of doing a shoot, and HIV cases have been very low, the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation reports that approximately 15 actors every week test positive for other infections. I will stop with the scary statistics about the icky infections and just provide you with a little PSA from your mother at The Frisky: use condoms, get tested and have safe fun! [Fox News] Keep reading »

Doin’ It With Dr. V: How To Tell Someone They Need To Get Tested For STDs

Dr. VJanuary 16, 2009 //

Hi, I’m Dr. V. I’m not a real doctor, I just play one on the Internet. What I am is a lady, a lady who is a fool for love! And I love nothing more than sex. My deepest desires have happily led me on many adventures in the sack, but they have also, sadly, made me one of my gyno’s most valuable players. But I’ve lived to tell the tale(s)! So, from time to time, I will dish the dirt on everything from getting freaky to getting freaked out. Now, let’s get this party started…

This week, I got an alarming phone call. My most recent ex-boyfriend went to get tested like a sensible young man and I’m so proud of him — but I’m sorry he had to call me with his results. While it wasn’t good news, I’m truly grateful he talked to me about it openly. Sex is dirty, and sometimes you can’t totally clean up the mess, but you can always take measures to stop it from spreading! I know my ex was not so thrilled to have to call me to tell me to get tested too, however, it made me realize why I was with him in the first place. He’s respectable and responsible for divulging what he knows with me, for better or for worse. Although it can be a tearful inspiration, I’d like to dedicate this installment of Dr. V to all the men and women, like my ex-boyfriend out there, who are brave enough to pick up the phone and show someone they still care by telling them the truth about their health and the risks they shared. According to the CDC, who just this week reported 19 million cases of STDs in 2007, there are a lot of people who need to make a similar confession. So, here’s how you do it, as pain-free as possible.
Keep reading »

Doin’ It With Dr. V: Cold Sores

Dr. VNovember 30, 2008 //

Hi, I’m Dr. V. I’m not a real doctor, I just play one on the Internet. What I am is a lady, a lady who is a fool for love! And I love nothing more than sex. My deepest desires have happily led me on many adventures in the sack, but they have also, sadly, made me one of my gyno’s most valuable players. But I’ve lived to tell the tale(s)! So, from time to time, I will dish the dirt on everything from getting freaky to getting freaked out. Now, let’s get this party started…

As winter sets in, I just wanted to put your mind at ease because the cold sore has a bit of a misleading name. It’s a common misconception that weather more frigid than a nun could cause you to get a cold sore, but ironically, too much sun can actually increase your chances of an outbreak. While cold sores are a type of the herpes simplex virus, they are also called “fever blisters” because having the flu can up the odds of getting one. But alas, stress, hormonal changes — like getting your period, skin injuries, a lowered immune system, and added stress — can also bring it on. But what eggs on a flare up is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the real cause of the problem, the herpes simplex virus. So, here’s everything you need to know about the blister and what you can do with your mister… Keep reading »

Revenge Isn’t So Sweet When It’s An STD

SimchaSeptember 3, 2008 //

You can get anything from the Internet, even an STD! RevengeCrabs.com is a site dedicated to selling spurned lovers genital lice, otherwise known as crabs. If you thought your breakup fight had bite, it’s got nothing on what these lil’ buggers can do once they start snapping at a crotch. The eggs are so cheap and easy to purchase and use, this “settling the score” is sadistic like nothing else we’ve ever seen! And the mad scientists behind this lab have already expanded their line of lice to include shampoo resistant super crabs, bedbugs, and are even working on developing chlamydia and the clap for consumer use. But what could drive someone to go to this kind of extreme, let alone develop a business plan? These CEO frat bros claim they all got crabs back in college by the same woman and now they want revenge on the world. Even scarier, they promise this kind of payback is totally legal. Right…. Oh yeah, and just to add that extra creep factor, they offer school children tours of their facilities. We’re itchy just thinking about these buggin’ business dirt bags. [Trend Hunter] Keep reading »

STFree Gives You A License to Lay

SimchaJuly 30, 2008 //

Do you have a license to lay? Brooklyn-based STF(ree) is making private issued cards so your potential lovers can check the results of your last two AIDS/HIV tests. No lying, no guessing, no putting off the inevitable. All you have to do is fill out their enrollment form and ask your doctor to send your lab results to STF. Then you’ll be issued an ID card. Using your personal number on the card and a private password you provide, people you’ve selected can call up the information line 24/7 and find out the truth about the party in your pants. It’s a small price to pay for some piece of mind to go with that piece of ass! Maybe this would come in handy if they ever legalize prostitution… [Via Boinkology]
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Hoo-Ha, That Was Funny!

SimchaApril 28, 2008 //

Sex and sketch comedy go together like penis and vagina. And the good people at Planned Parenthood of Portland, Oregon get both apparently. While the health videos we watched in high school were dull, outdated, and often gross, their take on taking care of down there features cool hotties and is laugh out loud awesome. Especially the silly “Down There Song”, which has made us want to rename the vag and dub it the “hot pocket.” So check out the site and use a condom!

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