So, let\u2019s say your partner tells you that they test \u201cnegative\u201d for sexually transmitted infections, and because of that you don\u2019t need to use a condom. You take them at their word and have unprotected sex, right?
\nWrong.<\/p>\n
Safe sex\u2014a term you\u2019ve probably heard since you were old enough to have sex\u2014means protecting yourself not only from unwanted pregnancy, but from STI\u2019s (sexually transmitted infections), also known as STD\u2019s (sexually transmitted diseases), and especially HPV (some types of which can lead to cancer).
\nAccording to the data released in the CDC\u2019s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) annual \u201cSexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report,\u201d the number of cases of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis in 2016 was the highest number recorded in this country\u2019s public health history. The more than two million reported cases set an alarming new record, with Chlamydia leading the charge at approximately 1.6 million diagnoses.<\/p>\n
For women especially, untreated STI\u2019s can lead to shattering, long-term complications such as infertility, stillbirth and greater vulnerability to HIV infection. Rounding out the remainder of those STI\u2019s reported for 2016 includes HPV, Herpes, HIV, Trichomonasis, Hepatitis, and Zika Virus. HPV, the most common of the STI\u2019s, affected 90 percent of women and 80 percent of men once they became sexually active.<\/p>\n
Even if your partner goes to their doctor for an STI check-up and receives a clean bill of health, there is still a chance that you may contract an STI from them. Part of the reason for that is HPV and HSV are difficult to find during a routine checkup unless there is an active wart or lesion on the man\u2019s penis or the woman\u2019s vagina. A partner can transmit both these viruses through sexual contact, even if that partner tested \u201cnegative\u201d during a physical exam.<\/p>\n
Although regular condom use cannot guarantee 100 percent protection against sexually transmitted infections, it is still the best \u201csafe sex\u201d practice aside from abstinence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":528,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-613","womens-health-topic","type-womens-health-topic","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/womens-health-topic\/613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/womens-health-topic"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/womens-health-topic"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/portfolio.zenkoders.com\/ai-powered\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}