STD Fact or Fiction

Most people with an STD experience painful symptoms False Most people who are infected with an STD, men and women alike, do not notice any symptoms until they visit their doctor or suffer from infertility. Sores do not have to be painful to be a problem

Birth control pills prevent the spread of STDs False Birth control pills prevent pregnancy, but do not offer protection from sexually transmitted diseases or infections. They may change the ph in the vagina and make the woman more susceptible to gonorrhea.

Douching will cure an STD False Douching, or washing the vagina out, may only spread an infection from the vagina into the uterus. Unless specially prescribed by a doctor, douching will not cure an STD

Abstinence is the best way to prevent STDs True Abstinence from sexual intercourse is the most effective way to avoid becoming exposed to a sexually transmitted disease. However, some genital tract infections can be spread through oral sex and close body-to-body contact

If you get an STD once, and are treated, you can’t get it again. False Even if a person has been treated with antibiotics, he/she can be re-infected if she/he has sexual contact with someone who carries the disease

A person does not need to see a doctor if she/he notices sores on his/her genitals once, but then they go away False Even if symptoms go away after a week or so, a person still needs to see a doctor. Just because the symptoms have abated, doesn’t mean the disease has disappeared

Condoms help prevent the spread of STDs True Although condoms are not 100% effective in preventing exposure to STDs, they are much better than nothing. They prevent direct skin-to-skin contact. Genital areas not covered by the condom may still be infected

30 to 40 million Americans currently have HIV/AIDS Herpes Chlamydia

Women who've had an STD are at increased risk for: a) infertility b) HIV/AIDS c) cervical cancer

Experts call which of the following bacterial STDs "the silent epidemic"? Scabies chlamydia trichomoniasis

Which of the following groups is at greatest risk for STDs? men under 25 women under 25 men 25-40

When asked to name the greatest obstacle they face in trying to protect themselves against STDs, people most often cite: Carelessness Ignorance self-consciousness

Experts now recommend that young people be immunized against what STD? Chlamydia Herpes hepatitis B

Which of the following STDs can be cured? Herpes gonorrhea genital warts

The most common symptom of STD infection in women is: vaginal discharge sores and/or blisters in the genital region no symptoms

You may be at increased risk for HIV/AIDS if: you have had many sex partners in the last 10 years you have given blood at a blood bank or blood collection center you have eaten food prepared by a person infected with HIV

The best form of protection against STDs during sex is: Spermicides condoms, used correctly all the time the pill, Norplant, and Depo-Provera