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While you don’t really have to worry about hot tubs, toilets, or that pair of jeans you tried on at the mall, there are ways to get STDs apart from straight intercourse. Do you need an STD check-up? Well, consider that gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, and HPV are among the infections that can be transmitted through oral sex. Also, just about any STD that can be acquired through vaginal sex can also be transmitted through anal intercourse. Just touching and rubbing genitals without "going all the way" poses a risk for an STD like herpes, even if a partner isn’t showing signs of a herpes outbreak.

Ah, summer. The season of barbecues, bathing suits, beach vacations, and STD testing. Sound about right? It should if your neck of the woods is anything like Albuquerque, New Mexico. And with warmer temperatures, more free time and barely-there summer fashion, why wouldn’t it be?

It’s gettin’ hot out there — and it’s a good idea to get an STD checkup as summer begins. STD testing is a smart move year-round, but as the temperature rises the likelihood that you’ll have a little summer lovin’ increases, right? Right. Which means your chances of contracting an STD increases, too.

First, the good news.  Many of the most common STDs are curable.  If you get a positive STD test for a curable STD like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trich, the proper prescription can have you on your way to complete recovery within 7 to 10 days.  Now, the bad news.  Many companies are touting the benefits of over-the-counter STD treatment. Our advice...stay away. We've seen everything from promises of a "life free of herpes outbreaks" to a "natural" chlamydia cure.  The FDA warns against these STD treatments.

It’s one thing to get test results back that say your cholesterol is a bit high: you have an idea what it means, and that you’ll probably be told to exercise and lay off the pizza. That flu diagnosis that came wrapped in a delightful 101 degree fever and a side order of full body ache? Kind of common sense to stay home for a week, drink fluids, rest up. A health care provider would give you a plan for such things, of course, but the point is you would have an instinct about what the test results or diagnosis means, and what you might need to do.

If you’re getting an STD checkup, good for you. If you’re getting an STD checkup with a trichomoniasis test, double good. Never heard of “trich”? Here are a few facts:

Be honest: Have you ever said one or more of the following in total seriousness?

• "You can’t get an STD or get pregnant if you have sex standing up."
• "You can’t get an STD if you have sex on a trampoline."
• "If I had an STD, I’d know."

A prestigious organization of doctors specializing in women’s health, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recently came out in strong support of women using long-acting birth control methods like IUD’s and hormonal implants. These methods are roughly 99% effective in preventing pregnancy for many years (as long as a decade) and take away the worry of “Did I take my pill today??”

A negative HIV test is a beautiful thing. That’s why two recent studies from Africa have gotten attention. The studies found new techniques for preventing the spread of HIV – leading, of course, to more negative HIV tests.

Okay, ladies, here’s the deal: a new study shows that STD testing rates for young gay/bisexual women are lower than straight rates. While it’s true that many STDs are easier to spread from a guy to a girl, women can still pass STDs to each other.

You’d use the toothpaste your dentist uses, right? And if your real estate friend buys a condo in a hot building, you might check it out. It’s great when you get the inside scoop -- and when it comes to safer sex, who better to go to than the pros?  That’s right; we’re talking about porn stars.

It’s a shame, it’s sad, it’s too bad, but it’s reality: People lie about sex.

I read survey results that indicate most health care providers aren’t following recommendations and giving sexually active young women annual chlamydia tests. I see data that tell me approximately 250,000 of my fellow citizens – some of whom are my friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers- are HIV-positive and don’t have a clue. Oh, and only about one-third of the girls who should be getting an HPV vaccine actually do so.

Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) is common, with estimates that about 17% of Americans between the ages of 14-49 have the virus. HSV-2 is virtually always a genital infection acquired sexually.