The ABCs of STDs in Your Life
...Are you charting dangerous sexual territory? The face you sleep with may be hiding all the other faces he slept with. Take time to find out the what ifs and maybes of this frightening but all too real situation. More important, discover the necessary precautions you should take.
By Owen Santos
...You may already have a sexually transmitted disease- without knowing it.
...Millie, a 23-year old staff assistant at a publishing house, learned this lesson just in the nick of time. She and her boyfriend had been together for two years, and had already reached that particular point of intimacy: they were having sex together regularly. Millie admits, not without an ounce of discomfort, that most of the sex during the first year , was unprotected.
..."We never really adjusted to using condom," she says. "He was the first boyfriend that I had sexual relations with and I found using a condom like eating candy with the wrapper on." Millie knew that Jerome had had previous sexual relations before they met, but it never really occurred to her to find out whether he had protected sex or not, or in fact, whether he had ever had a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It was almost a year into their relationship when signs of an STD appeared in Millie.
..."There was really bad itch down there," she recounts. "At first, I was afraid that i had crabs, so I inspected myself. I didn't see anything naman. I ignored it for some time, and just made sure to wash very well. Tapos later on, making "wee-wee" became slightly painful. Natakot na ako."
...Millie mustered enough courage to see a gynecologist for the first time. After a thorough examination, the doctor announced his diagnosis: Millie had contracted genital herpes. After a little arm-twisting, she made Jerome see a doctor. He had the same disease.
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...Experts say that part of the problem is that many sexually active individuals feel invulnerable to disease. The second Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study by the Population Institute of the Philippines reveals that 10 percent of the males sampled "engaged in sexually risky behaviour," by either having sex with a commercial sex worker or engaging in casual sex. Of this percentage, only a small portion used condoms. This, eventhough they were aware of the condom's function in protecting them and their partners from STDs and AIDS.
...Anton, a college student, never thought he could ever contract a sexually transmitted disease. Sure, he was sexually active, but he always made sure he knew who he was sleeping with.
..."I never paid for sex," he volunteers. "There are so many pretty girls around, those rich and not-so-rich kids who were only too willing. I just made sure I slept with only the really pretty ones, at saka clean ones too. I was never going to get an STD." HIs conviction was a strong one.
...Then he met a girl at one of the more prominent dance clubs in Makati. According to Anton, they had unprotected sex a few times within a week of meeting each other, after which they never saw each again. It was probably a week or so after that when he started to feel pain- a burning sensation- everytime he urinated.
..."I was a little worried," he says, "I knew some of the girls i slept with slept around also, like the last one. Kaya lang binalewala ko na. It didn't occur to me that it might be an STD already.
...Anton let another week pass, and still the pain was there. By that time, he knew he would have to see a doctor though he couldn't muster the courage to do so.
..."Nakakahiya eh," he says. "But i thought, sige na nga I'll go and see a doctor na because it was still painful." Like Millie, Anton went to see a doctor just in time. He had contracted urethral gonorrhea, an STD that, if left untreated could have led to infertility. |
...There are two types of STDs. One is the bacterial which includes gonorrhea (also known as tulo), syphillis, genital ulcers. The other is viral, which are the herpes, AIDS, hepatitis B, and the genital warts. It is important to know the different kinds of STDs and there symptoms.
...For women, you have this normal discharge that is whitish, non-foul smelling. It's sometimes colorless, sometimes pearly white. When you notice your discharge has become yellowish or greenish with a foul smell coupled with itchiness or a burning sensation when you urinate or pain during sexual intercourse, you probably have a problematic infection already, and it is time to seek medical help.
...Women who are sexually active should not hesitate to get a regular check-up or go see their doctor at the slightest sign of something awry.
...Of course there is nothing like prevention-regular check-upsand personal hygiene are key, not to mention safe sex. There are three different ways to be safe, using your ABCs: Abstinence or not having sex at all, Being faithful or maintaining a single partner- relationship; and Condoms- the correct and consistent use of which reduces the risk of contracting most STDs. The condom in the long run, has been a more effective way of reducing the risk of STDs.
...Education is also one factor that is essential to the formation of the right attitudes towards sex and our bodies.
...It is important that young men and women take care of themselves. Sexually active couples should discuss these matters and seek regular medical check-ups. A young woman, in particular should learn to speak up for herself and make wise decisions about her body. She had her whole life ahead of her and she should not ruin it. If she decides to have sex, then she should practice safe sex, and she should demand it of her partner as well. This does not have to ruin the spontaniety- it just means thinking ahead of time. Safe sex or no sex at all. That's protection, and protection- in this day and age- only makes sense.
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