April is STI Awareness month This April, in honor of STI Awareness Month, take some time to learn about sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Anyone who is sexually active can get an STI, so why not learn more about them and how to minimize your exposure to STIs and take care of your sexual health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) marks its own STI Awareness Week in April with the theme Talk, Test, Treat. It’s a good framework to think about STIs and your sexual health. Let’s start with talk—there’s a lot to talk about! Let's Talk and not just about sex (but ye ..read more

Is there a connection between masturbation and condom use? I read a study that says that boys who masturbate are also more likely to use condoms. Why would there be such a connection? And really, doesn’t everyone masturbate? Expert answer The exact reason isn’t known for an association between young men’s condom use and masturbation. One simple possibility is that masturbation allows young men to become more familiar with their own penis when it is erect. Using condoms is pretty easy, but knowing what to expect, and some practice, can make it really easy. Another possibility is that y ..read more

Can HSV I Turn into HSV II? What about false positive results? Is it possible for the herpes simplex 1 virus to turn into the herpes simplex II virus? Is it possible to test negative for both types and then test positive a few months later, even without an outbreak? What about having a "false" positive test result? Expert answer Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is similar to herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), with the main difference being that HSV-1 is most often experienced as an oral/facial infection while HSV-2 is more commonly related to genital herpes. The two types don’t somehow chan ..read more

I'm attracted to boobs but not girls. Does that mean I'm a lesbian? I am a girl and I look up pictures of boobs and videos of lesbians sometimes. I am somehow attracted to boobs and I think they look good, although I never feel attracted to girls. Does that mean I am a lesbian? Expert answer The short and easy answer is, no: enjoying looking at breasts or lesbian erotica does not mean you are a lesbian. Someone is a lesbian if she calls herself a lesbian, and usually that means she is primarily attracted sexually, romantically and emotionally to women and rarely if ever attracted to me ..read more

Can I treat genital warts by myself? I’ve had genital warts for about a year, and have made several trips to a clinic for treatment with cryotherapy [freezing warts with liquid nitrogen spray]. I’ve lost my health insurance, though, and can’t afford to have new warts treated. The treatment was little more than the nurse zapping the warts with the spray. Could I buy one of these units and just do it myself? Expert answer I hear you about the difficulty of getting treatment when you don’t have insurance. That has to be beyond frustrating. Please don’t try and freeze the genital warts you ..read more

Can herpes live on surfaces? I read that the herpes virus does not last very long outside the body. I’m sending you two studies I found online that suggest HSV can live for two hours at room temperature. Which information is correct? It seems to me bathrooms might be a real risk. Expert answer Research suggests herpes simplex virus (or HSV) outside the body begins to degrade fairly quickly. The real issue is whether or not herpes virus on objects can be passed on and cause infection: let us assure you there is no documentation that HSV has ever been contracted through inanimate objects ..read more

Could I have gotten herpes from oral sex? I was in a serious relationship for two years with this guy but out of anger I let another guy perform oral sex on me. I haven't had sexual intercourse for over five months but now am starting to think I have herpes because my vagina has been very irritated and red and maybe a little swollen. I've looked at pictures of herpes but what I see doesn't look the same. Does this sound like herpes? Expert answer Trying to figure out what symptoms mean can really make people nervous, because some of the symptoms of herpes and other STIs seem the same ..read more

Will a urine test pick up chlamydia in the anus or rectum? I am a 23-year old woman, one steady partner now but a couple of other sexual partners in the last year or so. I had a urine test for chlamydia that was (thankfully) okay and said I don’t have it. I’ve had anal sex, too, and didn’t mention that to the people at the clinic. Would the test I had also pick up on chlamydia in the anus or rectum? Expert answer Chlamydia is the most commonly reported infectious disease in the U.S., with over a million cases reported to the CDC annually. In reality, many cases of chlamydia are undiagn ..read more

I had an abnormal Pap, did I give my boyfriend HPV? I had my Pap test a month ago and just received a letter saying my Pap test is unclear, I MAY have changes in my cervix cells, and I need to get checked again. I’m scared because the night before I got the letter, my boyfriend and I had sex. Now I’m freaking out that I’ve given him HPV. Expert answer Women can have unclear Pap tests for many different reasons. Sometimes HPV-related cell changes are the cause, but other causes such as yeast infections can also result in an abnormal Pap test. To help sort it out, it’s not uncommon to re ..read more

I feel trapped in an abusive relationship, what can I do? I’m gay and I feel trapped in an abusive relationship with another man. I don’t feel like I can talk to my friends at all, and I am afraid to report my partner. What should I do? Expert answer People of any gender or any sexual orientation can be abusers or victims of abuse; however, most support for victims of abuse is aimed toward women in abusive heterosexual relationships. Finding help if you are in a physically, sexually or emotionally abusive same-sex relationship can be especially difficult because getting help often invo ..read more