In a world where condom and sexual protection commercials are widely publicized on national television, there is very little reason for passing an STD from one person to another. STD prevention is easy: don’t have unprotected sex. The easiest and most effective preventative tactic is the use of condoms. Condoms are available to men in road side businesses, grocery stores and gas stations. Even some public restrooms will provide vending machines with condoms inside. Why the big push to wear a condom? Because men have the power to reduce the number of people dying every year due to STDs.
STD stands for sexually transmitted disease. In many cases men believe this means orgasm has to occur in order for the transmission to happen, but that is a fallacy. Intercourse does not even have to include penetration in order for an STD to pass from one person to another. Oral sex, anal sex and fondling of the genital area can all pass cells from one person to another. The three most common STDs men are fighting are syphilis, HIV/AIDs and gonorrhea. Other common STDs men are fighting to control include Chlamydia, Herpes Simplex and HPV.
Chlamydia is one of the most common STDs in the United States today. In males, the disease can cause inflammation of the prostate, testicles and urethra, but often men show no symptoms at all. Women, on the other hand, can suffer from pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Chlamydia is thought to infect more than 8% of males between the ages of 20 and 24. These are the men who are most sexually active. Getting a test is easy and the infection can be cleared up with some antibiotics in a flash.
Herpes Simplex sufferers face a lifetime of breakouts and pain. Recently, television commercials have tried to put a smiling face on this STD, but the effect has been mundane at best. People with Herpes Simplex often present with irritation of the genital area, rash and raised bumps. When a breakout occurs, the virus can (and often WILL) be passed on to a sexual partner. Unfortunately, only one small bump is needed for an active strain to move into a partner’s body so the person suffering from Herpes may not even know they are infected. There is no known cure, so men need to get tested and wear a condom.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been one of the most public of all STDs. Millions of men are believed to carry the virus which is passed on to women during sexual intercourse. While the big media push surrounded the fact that HPV can cause cervical cancer in women, men can also be affected by the virus. Men with HPV are at a greater risk for certain forms of cancer and genital warts.
STDs are easy to control in the male and female population. Sex is hot, wonderful and full of pleasure, but that pleasure can wait a few moments for a condom. Wearing a condom during sexual intercourse reduces the risk of contracting an STD by up to 99%.
