STDs and Marriage: Get Tested Before You Say I Do

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Today’s post is a guest post from Toni. Please check out her bio at the end. This topic is dear to my heart because I have a friend who got married and contracted the HPV virus from her husband. Not the kind of thing you want to ruin the honeymoon phase! Yikes! Toni is here to help us clarify many common misconceptions. Did you know you can get an STD from a virgin?!!! Neither did I! Turning it over to Toni…

When you’re married, condoms and spermicide are usually shoved to the side or thrown out the window, right? Well, to ensure that you prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), it is important to get tested before you walk down the aisle- whether or not you think you’re at risk.

Why should you get tested?

If you or your partner had previous sexual relationships, getting tested is the best way to confirm your sexual health status. Contrary to popular belief, many people have no idea how common STDs are, and how necessary it is to be tested.
STDs are among the most contagious diseases in the United States, so unlike a cold or the flu, sometimes there are no obvious symptoms. You can’t detect whether someone has an STD just by looking at them. More importantly, it is not a good idea to rely on assumptions or guesswork.

STDs and Misconceptions

• A common misconception in the sexual health world is that virgins are STD-free. However, virgins can also have STDs. Just because your intended sex partner has never been sexually intimate with someone else, doesn’t mean he or she cannot have a sexually transmitted disease or infection. Many STDs are spread by skin-to-skin contact, like oral and genital herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and etc. Such diseases can be transmitted by oral sex, kissing, and even mutual masturbation. Virgin or not, you should still test for STDs.
• Another misconception is that people commonly assume that they do not have STIs because they’re not “that kind of person.” However, the fact is that anyone can get an STD, and furthermore, an STD can lie dormant in a person’s system only to flare up without warning.
• People often believe doctors test for them during physical check-ups. The truth is that there is no “one size fits all” test when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases–each infection requires its own specific test and often would not come up in a general exam. However, many patients are reluctant to reveal sensitive details about their sexual history, even with a trained medical professional. In such instances, the best resource would be to visit an online STD testing center.

Remember, vigilance is important, as is having a frank conversation with your partner about safe sexual practices. Once contracted, many STDs stay in your system for the rest of your life, so in order to maintain ideal sexual health, be sure to make safe sex a regular practice. With regards to preventing STDs completely, abstinence before marriage is the best policy. For those who have already become sexually active, there are options to protect yourself and others.

Bio:

Toni Sims is a senior web content writer with STDcheck.com, an online STD testing service. At its core, STDcheck.com is a technology company that has broken the barriers of traditional healthcare. The firm is helping unite the intersection of healthcare and ecommerce, and by doing so, has been able to deliver higher quality of care to health consumers, as well as contributing to the new age of healthcare.

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