Today’s guest post is by Jennifer Anderson from YourStdHelp.com.
Online Dating Insider is primarily focused on the business of online dating, while at the same time we look forward to welcoming guest posts on more singles-specific topics in the future.
Dating online can be an exciting adventure. You never know who you’re going to meet, what they do, and their personality. But just like getting fixed up by a friend or meeting that special someone out on the town there are some risks and safety measures that should be taken.
We’ve all heard about STD’s, seen the commercials on TV, and well some of us have had firsthand experience. The truth is the risk of transmission is much higher than most people know. In a recent study by the CDC it found that one in four teenage girls ages 14 to 19 had an STD and most didn’t even know it. And that’s just teenage girls, so let’s go over some facts, figures, and safety measures.
Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are two of the most common STD’s. They are both curable and do little damage if found early but can make men and women infertile if not treated promptly. Many times unfortunately there are no or very little symptoms of these diseases making it easy to pass from one partner to the next. The good news about these two STD’s unlike some below is with proper condom usage you have almost a 100% of not catching the disease from an infected partner. So remember, always use condoms even with oral sex because the last thing you want is gonorrhea of the throat.
HPV is an extremely prevalent STD that has over a hundred strains. Over 20 million people in the US have HPV and it’s estimated that over 6 million more will contract it this year alone. By the time people are done being sexually active about %50 of them will have contracted this STD. The problems are only ten strains cause any symptoms at all which are genital warts while the other strains can cause cervical, throat, and anal cancer and condoms aren’t as effective as some would have you believe since it can be passed through exposed skin. Since the worst strains have no symptoms it’s important, especially for women, to get checked out at least once a year if your sexually active or were sexually active in the past as HPV is known to hide for many years without signs or symptoms what so ever. More on HPV Symptoms.
Syphilis has been making a comeback in recent years and can be quite a debilitating disease if not caught early. When caught, syphilis causes a single sore where the infection entered the body that will go away on its own. After that there can be no symptoms for quite some time while the disease slowly gets worse and if not found can cause blindness and insanity. Condoms can be quite effective in stopping transmission and as always especially with new partners should always be used.
The herpes simplex virus can be a misunderstood STD with two major strains HSV-1 and HSV-2 causing blisters and redness on the mouth and genitals respectively. Studies have shown that 80% of the population currently is infected with HSV-1 and a little over 20% is infected with HSV-2. That means one in five people have genital herpes, another disease that’s on the rise because condoms aren’t 100% effective in all cases. Many people are infected with this STD and don’t know it because people think of it as only causing blisters which is not always the case. Many times it causes slight irritation, small cuts, or redness so people don’t realize they have herpes until they spread it and it reacts differently to the other person.
So as you see dating online can be fun but safety measures should always be taken. Use a condom every time and if possible get tested beforehand. If money is an issue there are plenty of places to get tested for free or at a very low cost that you can find here at these free STD testing clinics. Be safe and happy dating.
