• Safe Sex
• STDs & STIs

8 STI myths you shouldn’t believe

By Love Matters Kenya on

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis… You may have heard of these, but can you distinguish between STI myths and reality? We’ve got you covered.

​​​​

1. It’s easy to tell if someone has an STD

   Not every STD causes clear signs and symptoms. Take HPV, for example, a virus that can cause genital warts and even cervical cancer. Almost all sexually active people will get it at some point in their lives, but there are no tests and rarely ever any symptoms.

2. Using two condoms lowers the risk of getting an STD

   If one condom is good, using two condoms is even better, right? It may logically sound right, but it isn’t. Using two condoms at once actually increases the risk of them slipping or breaking, which means less protection. Stick to just one condom.

3. You can’t get an STD from oral sex

   Yes, you can. Any form of intimacy, whether it’s vaginal, anal, oral or just genital skin-to-skin contact, can give you an STD. So always be safe when you get intimate with someone: use condoms or dental dams.

4. All STDs are easy to treat

   Unfortunately, that’s not the case. While some, like chlamydia, are indeed easily treatable, there is no cure for others, like HIV.

5. You can’t get the same STD more than once

   It’s true that your immune system can build antibodies against some STDs and partially protect you this way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get the same STD twice. Also, other STDs, like herpes and HIV, aren’t curable, which means you can potentially pass them on to your sex partners.

6. Condoms protect against all STDs

   This might come as a shock, but condoms can’t prevent the transmission of all STDs. Some of them, like HPV and herpes, can be found anywhere around your genitals. And a condom won’t cover these areas, leaving you at risk of infection.

   That’s not an excuse to drop the condom though!

7. I’ve only ever had one partner, so I can’t have an STD

   Unfortunately, even if you’ve only had one partner, you can get an STD. If both of you have never had any kind of sexual contact before, the risk is low. But, some infections (like HPV) are very common, and can be transmitted through skin contact alone. So there is a risk of infection, even if you’ve only ever had one partner.

8. You can’t have two STDs at once

   Yes, you can. In fact, having an STD might make it even easier to get another one. If you have genital warts, for example, HIV can enter the body more easily. And chlamydia and gonorrhea appear together so often, that if you have one of them, the doctor is bound to test you for the other.
    

   Have you heard any more myths? Share them below, on Facebook or our discussion board and get an answer asap!