How to keep yourself safe from sexually transmitted diseases

Unfortunately, there are many sexually transmitted diseases that can have fatal consequences. However, with the right precautions, these diseases can be avoided and you can enjoy a healthier and longer life.

The surest way to prevent getting sexually transmitted diseases is to simply abstain forever. But it is not a realistic solution and not a solution that many people prefer. So, instead, it’s better to try to practice safe sex to keep yourself protected from sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea, syphilis, AIDS and herpes. Some of these diseases you are susceptible to if you don’t practice safe sex, and once you have the disease you then run the risk of passing it on to anyone you come into physical sexual contact as well as unborn children, if you are a woman.

How to Protect Yourself from STDs

Usually this disease is passed on from body fluids, just like AIDS, and so when you have sex, the fluids that are exchanged can transfer to the body and can infect other people. Often times, it is a hit or miss trial and one person may or may not catch it from another, although rigorous testing must be done to determine this. One way to protect yourself can be with a condom, although that is a tentative solution with many risks. Even though a condom serves not to exchange bodily fluids, it can still break or tear during intercourse and then spread AIDS or some other disease regardless. Condoms are only mildly effective against some ailments and really not a protective measure against most. However, if you know that you have a sexually transmitted disease and you are about to have sex with someone, it is important to wear a condom or encourage your partner to wear it.

Another thing to do is to be open about any illnesses you had prior to sexual intercourse and, if you do not have the disease, to find out if your partner did. You have to be careful before having sex and that may mean both of you are tested before you decide to share your body. You can both be tested for various diseases and infections and then once you have the results you will have a better idea of ??the risks and know how to proceed. If your partner refuses to take the test, then you need to take more precautions and ask about your partner’s sexual history and whether one partner may have a sexually transmitted disease. Really, the safest thing is for both of you to be tested beforehand so that no illness gets past the two of you.

Staying Healthy

It is very important that you try to have safe sex because sexually transmitted diseases can cause pelvic inflammatory disease as well as infertility and ectopic pregnancies. You may also be at risk for serious discomfort and painful infections in the form of genitalia and other painful rashes that can occur with herpes. Cervical cancer is also a risk for many people. You will be at risk for gential mycoplasma infection, Chlamydia infection, and a number of other bacterial tests. The good news is, if you do happen to get a sexually transmitted disease, most of them can be treated effectively in the early stages and you’ll be fine again with a few rounds of antibiotics. But that means you need to be tested regularly because symptoms don’t always present themselves.