• STIs are passed from person to person through sexual contact.
• STIs are passed through warm, moist surfaces like the vagina, penis, anus, and mouth.
• Make sure to wear a latex condom while having oral, vaginal, or anal sex to prevent catching and spreading STIs.
• There are more than 20 different kinds of STIs! Here are the most common ones.
Syphili
What is it and how do you get it?
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that left untreated can lead to serious complications or death. You can get it from oral sex, vaginal sex, or anal sex with someone who has the infection, or by sharing infected needles. The infection is passed through sores or rashes on the genitals, mouth, or skin.
How do you know if you have it?
First you get a sore that doesn't hurt. It is called a chancre. The sore will go away by itself. Three to six months later, you many get a body rash and feel like you have the flu. These symptoms can disappear without any treatment but the infection can continue to damage the brain, liver, heart, and blood vessels.
What do you do if you have it?
Go to your doctor and get a blood test done to confirm you have syphilis. Then your doctor can prescribe antibiotics. Tell your partners that you have syphilis so they can do the same.
Herpes
What is it and how do you get it?
Herpes is an infection and it causes sores around the mouth or on the genitals. You can get herpes from kissing someone who has these sores on their mouth or if your mouth comes in contact with sores in their genital area.
You can also get herpes by touching the sores of an infected person and then touching your eyes, mouth, or genitals.
*There are two types of herpes: simplex 1 and simplex 2. Type 1 usually is characterized by cold sores or fever blisters on the lips or face, and type 2 is a sore on the genital area.
How do you know if you have it?
• itching or tingling on your skin
• painful blisters full of liquid
• you will feel like you have the flu, and then blisters will form on your skin
• occasionally a lesion like a small cut may appear
The most reliable way of finding out if you have herpes is through a herpes cultures test. In this test, the doctor will collect a sample of fluid (called a viral culture) from a sore when it first appears in the blistering stage. The doctor will then send it to the lab to see if it's infected with the herpes virus. The test is very accurate but it may take a few days to process.
What do you do if you have it?
Go to your doctor. There is no cure for herpes, but there is medication that will help reduce the symptoms, which can reoccur throughout your life. You will need to eat well and get lots of rest.
Hepatitis B
What is it and how do you get it?
It is a virus that can cause a serious infection of the liver.
You get it by sharing blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or saliva.
Hepatitis is passed on through sexual activity with someone
YOU ARE READING
The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality
Non-FictionCheck it out: not just a book about sex, but a look at girl culture by youth themselves. No stuffy school textbook. No nosey adults. Just a diverse group of teen girls from a community youth project who had questions about sexuality. To find answers...
