It always amazes me that with all of the correct information available online and offline about sexual health, people still choose to believe and spread ridiculous myths, leaving individuals more confused and further misinformed. It’s time some truth was spread to help end the confusion! Here are five of the most common myths about sexual health and their truths revealed.
“I heard you can catch an STD from a toilet seat.”
NOT TRUE. STDs can not live outside of the body for long periods of time, and wouldn’t survive for long on a cold toilet seat for that matter. STDs aren’t present in urine because of its sterile nature, so there is a very unlikely chance anyone would catch an STD from someone that used the toilet before them.
“If I use a douche after sex, I won’t get pregnant.”
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DEAD WRONG. Millions of sperm are released during ejaculation, and in the amount of time it takes to get from the bedroom to the bathroom and douche, a great number of the little swimmers have already made their way to the uterus in hopes of fertilization. Douching will help clear out the extra semen in the vagina, however, it will not prevent pregnancy, especially if ovulation is already in progress.
“If I have an STD I will know it.”
SADLY, this is FALSE. Most STDs are asymptomatic which means they do not display symptoms. These diseases can lay dormant for weeks, months or even years without any physical detection. The only way to know if you are infected is to get tested.
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“If I’m on my period, I can’t get pregnant.”
As odd as this may sound, this is actually FALSE. Sperm can live within the body up to five days after their initial introduction. So, if a woman is near the end of her cycle and is still ovulating when sperm has been released into her body, she can indeed become pregnant.
“Oral sex is the safest form of sex.”
This is also FALSE. STDs can still be passed through oral sex and into the mouth if protection isn’t used during the act. STDs that are passed by skin to skin contact, such as herpes and HPV, can easily be passed even if bodily fluids aren’t exchanged. The safest form of sex is to abstain from it all together.
