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Take control of your sexual health

Picture this: it’s Valentine’s Day and you’re on a date with that one attractive person from biology class. Dinner goes well, and you’ve decided take it back to their place. Things start heating up while watching a movie on the couch, and you think you’re ready to take it to the next level. But then you remember what Coach Carr from Mean Girls had to say about going all the way:

“At your age, you’re going to have a lot of urges. You’re going to want to take off your clothes and touch each other. But if you do touch each other, you will get chlamydia… and die.”

Talk about killing the mood.

Chlamydia probably won’t kill you, but it can wreak havoc on your body. When left untreated in females, this sexually transmitted infection can cause infertility due to damaged Fallopian tubes or increase the likeliness for high-risk births. For men, chlamydia can cause a myriad of infections and inflammations in the rectum and urethrae.

Talking about STDs and STIs is awkward. The majority of us don’t jump for joy at the thought of having “the talk” with a prospective sexual partner. But these conversations are an important aspect of leading a sexually-healthy lifestyle, and they must occur more frequently.

What makes this such an awkward topic? It’s likely due to the popular perception that only people with multiple sexual partners are contracting these infections and diseases. But this isn’t the case. According to the American Sexual Health Assocation, 50 percent of sexually-active people will contract an STI or STD by the age of 25, and more than half of all people will have an STI or STD in their lifetime. Note that these statistics don’t differentiate between individuals with one or 15 sexual partners. We are all part of these statistics. It’s time we take ownership of our sexual health and approach this taboo topic.

So how do we do it? I wish I could say there was an awkward-free method of bringing it up, but it can be an uncomfortable conversation. One obvious method is to wait for a private moment and say, “I know it’s awkward, but I think we should talk about this…” If your partner is mature enough to value the sexual health of both parties, they’ll be willing to talk. Or maybe you’ll find that it wasn’t awkward at all, and life will be grand.

There are many people who, for a variety of reasons, choose to abstain from sexual activity until after marriage. They may be wondering why they need to care about sexual health if they plan to only have one sexual partner in a monogamous relationship. I’d argue there’s a chance that at least once in our lives a friend, family member or someone we look out for will ask these questions. And don’t we all deserve access to a safe environment to have them answered? If you don’t feel comfortable offering that advice, we should know of safe places to send them to get it.

Students have several local options to STI or STD screenings. The Student Health and Wellness Center offers screenings as well as the Bear River Health Department office in Logan. The Logan Health Center, operated by the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, is another option.

Whether or not you have steamy romantic plans this Valentine’s Day, make your sexual health a priority. It’s easier to be screened now than endure treatment later.

— manda.perkins@hotmail.com

Twitter: @perkins_manda