Tag Archives: STIs
Withdrawal Before Coming
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HIV and AIDS
December 1st is World Aids Day (and my Aunty Betty’s birthday, Happy Birthday!), which is why people will be wearing red ribbons today and for the next few days (someone will wear a massive one on X factor).
On World Aids Day lovely, thoughtful and cool people wear red ribbons to show that they care, to help promote safer sex, to encourage people to look after themselves and each other and to reduce stigma. More on stigma later but for now the facts.
HIV is a virus which attacks and destroys CD4 cells in the body, which are the cells which help to fight illnesses. Unless someone with HIV gets treatment, the number of CD4 cells can become so low that they can no longer fight off illnesses, such as pneumonia, and this can threaten their life (this is often known as having ‘AIDS’).
There is no cure for HIV.
But since 1990s there have been drug treatments which can help people living with HIV to stay well and live relatively normal lives. They can have sex, have kids, have careers, have fun, have a dance, drive around in their cars playing really loud music, nip out to the shop for a Double Decker and a can of Coke, that kind of thing.
But living with HIV is not easy and it’s a life threatening illness so we should try to avoid it.
The main way that people in the UK get HIV is by someone having sex with someone, who already has HIV, without a condom: specifically sex with a penis going inside a vagina or anus (arse), without a condom.
So we need to either use a condom for sex, only have sex with someone we know for sure doesn’t have the virus, or have safer sex.
It’s also possible to get HIV from sharing needles with someone who has HIV. It’s also possible to be born with HIV from a parent who already has it.
We can not get HIV from kissing, stroking, licking, massaging, rubbing or using the same toilet seat or towel or anything like that. OK? Got that?
We can have HIV for ages without knowing. It usually does not have any recognisable symptoms. In the UK they estimate that over 22,000 people have got it without knowing about it (1/4 of the total number in the UK).
So if you’ve ever had sex without a condom you might want to get a check-up.
For your nearest clinic visit http://www.condomessentialwear.co.uk/gum-clinic or click on the yellow box at the side of this page.
The test involves either a blood sample (taken with a needle in the ar or a pin prick to the end of your finger) or a swab from the inside of your mouth. The highly trained health care professionals will tell you what will happen and you can refuse any test.
Tests are free and confidential in the UK.
As it is one of the least common infections you may also want to get a check-up for everything else too (such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, which are very common, but less dangerous).
HIV must be the only illness in the world where people are abused and attacked and treated unfairly for having an illness. This is simply wrong. Do we go around calling people with cancer, diabetes or gout names?
Why? Well if you ask me (you did ask me yeah?) it’s down to most people being negative (or neutral) about sex. But also I think that it’s down to sexism, classism, racism and homophobia.
Anyone can get HIV. Anyone. Straight/Gay, Black/White, Man/Woman, ManU fan/Chelsea fan, Rockstar/Rapper, Sex Worker/Sexual Health Worker. There is no type of person that gets HIV. If we have sex without a condom we can get it.
So wear a ribbon and show you care and spread the facts and reduce the stigma.
More from me which might help
Sexual Health Services: what going to a clinic is like and what they do there
Check out this brilliant charity, supporting young people with HIV Body and Soul
Here is a video about HIV and stigma from the very lovely Konnie Huq
Practitioner? Go here for a free factsheet and image resources
Brook THT FPA
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Ask Bish: Oral Sex Risks
How risky is giving a guy a blowjob without using a condom? We are in a committed relationship and have been for 2 years now, although since we are only 15 have not yet been tested for STI’s. I know we shouldn’t be doing this at this age but we will do this whether or not we are reminded that we shouldn’t. I would rather know and be safe than carry on with this not knowing, thank you for any help in advance 
Hey!
The risks of STIs for oral sex (licking or sucking a penis, balls, clitoris or vagina) are generally much lower than for unprotected penis in vagina or penis in anus sex. Lots of people choose not to use condoms or dams when having oral sex and only a minority of them catch an STI.
You can only catch an STI from someone who has an STI. Someone is more likely to have an STI if they have had unprotected sex with other partners.
Most instances of STIs don’t have any symptoms or just have very mild symptoms. All STIs are treatable and the most common are curable. Oral sex on a female is generally less risky than oral sex on a man. It’s possible to catch an STI from both giving and receiving oral sex.
Using condoms or dams can dramatically reduce the risks from oral sex but to reduce the risks even further: avoid getting semen in your mouth, avoid brushing your teeth or flossing before hand and avoid giving oral sex if you have a coldsore (or the beginnings of a coldsore – Herpes type 1).
If you guys haven’t had sex with anyone else, and you don’t get coldsores, then most people will think that’s pretty safe. But if you have concerns then go to your nearest sexual health service: they are free and confidential, click this link for UK services http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/ServiceSearchAdditional.aspx?ServiceType=SexualHealthService
I’m not telling you whether it is definitely safe and I’m not going to tell you whether it is wrong or not: your call. Remember that sex under the age of 16 is illegal in the UK, though this law is not intended for consenting couples of roughly the same age (which you are).
Hope this helps!
Bish
To ask me a question click on the image below
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Sexual Health Services
Learn more about sexual health services for young people in the UK. What they are, where they are, what they do and what going for a check up or a chat at a clinic is like.
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Why hello there.
This post is really only relevant to those who live in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In the UK we are pretty lucky to have free and confidential sexual health services for young people. You can get free condoms, emergency contraception, contraception, STI check-ups, pregnancy testing, impartial advice about pregnancy options, terminations of pregnancy (not usually in Northern Ireland though), counselling, advice, cervical screening, well man checks. All free and confidential with no prescription charges. Good eh?
If you click on the the top right hand corner of this blog or here then you can find your local place for these services. Not all services are the same though so I’ll try to make this clear in this post.
Many areas have young people’s clinics as well as adult clinics, if you are a young-un you can go to either.
Young people’s clinics offer very similar services to adult services but with staff who are trained in working with young people and aim to be more friendly and welcoming to the yoof. They also tend to be open after school (afternoons and evenings). Each clinic may offer some or all of the services above, it depends so make sure you find out they do what you want before you go.
If you are worried or want to know more about what may happen then click the image below. It’s an example of a welcome leaflet which we use at a clinic I work at. It will give you some idea of what happens.
Young people’s clinics are provided by the NHS (National Health Service) and employ their own staff, or they pay for other organisations to provide them. For example Brook are a charity who specialise in young people’s sexual health services, they provide really great services. Check out their website: just make sure you come back OK?
Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) also provide some services to young people.
So here is an example of a young people’s clinic in action. It’s a great project called KISS (Keep It Safe and Sorted, or Sexy, I forget which) in Uxbridge, London (or Middlesex, I forget which). It stars Average Joe and Condom Man!!!
Ok. Now to confuse you a little bit, clinics for adult sexual health are split into two types of service.
One mainly does the stuff to do with contraception, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, terminations: these are known as ‘Reproductive Sexual Health’ or ‘Family Planning’ clinics.
The other mainly does STI check-ups and treatment: these are known as ‘Sexual Health Clinics’ or ‘GUM’ (Genito-Urinary Medicine) Clinics.
Remember each service should spell out exactly what they do, so go to the one which does what you want.
You could also just go to your GP. Many GPs offer sexual and reproductive health services and can be a very convenient place to get your contraception from, for instance.
For more detail on all the services available for adults and young people in more detail, visit Dr Petra’s blog
Pharmacists (chemists) are very useful places, particularly for the Emergency Contraception Many pharmacists are funded to give the Emergency Contraception for free to young people. So find out locally whether yours will. If not the emergency contraception pill (Levonelle 2) costs around £25.
The pharmacist will normally have a private consultation room where you may be asked for some information and given some advice about emergency contraception and safer sex.
All clinics to do with sexual health, for adults or young people, will provide you with free condoms! Hurrah!
Many areas also have ‘Condom Distribution Schemes’ and many of these are aimed at young people. The idea is that it makes access to condoms easier. They are great at providing condoms, but if you want more specialist advice and information they might not be able to help you but they will refer you to someone who can if they can’t.
In some areas you register and get a ‘C Card’ which means that you can go to a number of outlets near where you live to get them (though in practice, young people tend to go back to the same place). Connexions Centres, youth clubs, GP surgeries, local clinics are often part of these schemes: even barber shops in some areas!
Do an internet search to see if there is a ‘C Card’ or other great condom project in your area. For example here is a great C Card scheme in Hackney, London, called Free-Dom
Chlamydia is the most common Sexually Transmitted Infection, particularly amongst young people. You can catch it very easily if you have penis in vagina or anus sex without a condom. It usually has no symptoms (so you do not know you have it). It can stop you from having kids when you’re older. It is easy to test for (pee in a pot) and it is easily cured (a week of anti-biotics).
Because of this, if you are a young person in the UK, you might have had someone pushing a urine pot under your nose! You might even have had a letter about it from your local PCT (Primary Care Trust, the people in the NHS that provide these services).
Colleges, Schools, Universities, Workplaces and even some pubs and nightclubs have had teams of chlamydia screeners trying to get people to get a free test. If someone asks you to do a test, and you wanna do it, just listen to their instructions about how to pee in the pot and how they will let you know the result (usually they text you).
You can even get a free testing kit sent to you for instance here
As with everything on here it’s all free and confidential.
Now remember, to find your nearest place click on the yellow box above or here
For more on Contraception and Services
Sexual Health Services: what going to a clinic is like and what they do there
Busted! Contraception and Pregnancy Myths
© Justin Hancock 2012, bishtraining.com
Herpes
Yo! Word. Shizzle etc.
This is about Herpes (Herpes Simplex Virus), which is a sexually transmitted infection: it can be caught from oral, or penetrative sex or even just skin to skin contact, it’s easy to catch but it really isn’t that serious. Honest. Read on for more…
There are loads of different kinds of Herpes, some cause chicken pox and glandular fever for instance, but we are talking about Herpes type 1 and type 2. Herpes 1 is responsible for cold sores, which is very very common (often caught in childhood) and Herpes 2 is genital herpes.
Herpes 1&2 can cause small blisters on the part of the skin affected, which can burst leaving a sore. It can also cause a flu-type illness. You can contract it from someone else by skin to skin contact. It is treatable with topical treatments (creams etc) and there are drugs available to prevent frequent outbreaks.
The outbreaks come and go, but the virus can remain in the body (dormant) when the outbreak has gone away. The body is very good at curing itself of herpes and outbreaks often only happen once and either don’t come back at all or become much more mild if they do.
The truth is that you might already have it without knowing. Herpes 1 is very very common and herpes 2 is common. As with most STIs people can have it without realising because they don’t get symptoms, or symptoms can be mild and unnoticeable, or the virus could be dormant within the body.
The most important thing to know is that you can only catch it from someone who has an outbreak, this includes the initial tingling stage before the blisters appear. During this period it’s best not to have sex, if you don’t want your partner to catch it.
You can get facial herpes (herpes 1) from kissing someone who has a cold sore outbreak (or has a cold sore about to happen). You can also get herpes 1 from having oral sex with someone who has a cold sore outbreak, this would result in an outbreak of herpes 1 on the genitals. Herpes 1 is less likely to recur.
Herpes type 2 can be caught from having sex (or any intimate sexual contact). If someone has an outbreak, or is about to have an outbreak, then they could transmit this to someone else if the affected part of the body touches another person. For instance, if someone has an outbreak on the upper thigh then they could transmit this, whether they are wearing condoms or not.
If you think you have an outbreak of Herpes then you should head to your GP or sexual health service for a confidential and free check-up. They will take a swab from one of the blisters to see if you have the virus and then will advise you on treatment and prevention. Herpes isn’t routinely tested for unless someone has an outbreak.
The truth is that it isn’t serious.
Like all STIs you should try to avoid getting it, but the worst thing about the infection is the stigma and hysteria caused by a lack of correct information. It doesn’t have any long term effects which other STIs have (though it can cause some complication during pregnancy which may result in a Caesarian section).
Don’t believe me? The Herpes Virus Association has a top website here and Dan Savage (king of sex advice columnists in my view) here agree with me.
More from me that might help
Sexual Health Services: what going to a clinic is like and what they do there
© Justin Hancock, 2012 bishtraining.com
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Don’t Be a Condom Dodger!
NO-ONE likes a condom dodger. Condoms prevent really nasty Sexually Transmitted Infections and anyone that refuses to wear them for sex should be dumped, or shamed, or avoided.
HOWEVER, there are lots of reasons why people don’t like using condoms or find using condoms difficult.So let’s not be too hard on them… yet.
This is a great video about an old chap who loved getting his end away but would always use condoms. Nowadays condoms are disposable!
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