Q: How can I tell if my boyfriend has HPV? I know that there are different strains of the virus, because my gyno told me that some give you genital warts and other types can give you cancer — this is why I get Pap smears every few years.
Q: I have oral herpes — not genital. I haven’t gotten a cold sore in a while because whenever I feel a tingle I take Valtrex, the medicine that fights herpes. I’m just concerned because it feels like every time I drink even a little or don’t sleep a ton, I feel a tingle in the same spot. I take Valtrex and it goes away. Does this mean I’m allergic to alcohol or my immune system is weak? Should I be taking Valtrex every day? Is it possible for me to pass oral herpes to other people if the virus is dormant and I don’t have an actual sore, just the tingle? Is there any risk to taking Valtrex every day/could I build a tolerance to it?
Q: I’m not gonna lie, STDs freak me out. Not the STDs that are curable, because whatever — just go to the doctor to get your pills or shot, and you’re back on the market. I mean the ones that you get and then have to live with forever. I mean no judgment on anyone who has one, but having to tell all my potential boyfriends for the rest of my life, that’s pretty intense. The thing is, I’m not actually sure which STDs are incurable. What are they, and how bad are they?
Q: I started sleeping with a new guy a few weeks ago and he said he’d gotten tested recently and didn’t have anything. I trusted him at the time, but now I’m not so sure because I just noticed some weird sores in my privates. I’m wondering how to know if what I’m feeling is an STD or something else. I started Google image searching “STD blister” and got super freaked out pretty quickly. I just wanna know if I should be going to the doctor or if this is definitely something unrelated that will go away on its own. Are there symptoms that are just for STDs? And how do you know when you should get tested?
Q: I have a question about safety and oral sex. I love giving going down on both men and women (I’m bi) but I don’t know how safe oral sex is STD-wise. I’ve heard all this different information — some people say you can’t get anything really from oral sex, while other people are telling me I should be using condoms or dental dams every time. That sounds like a lot of work, so which is it — and how big is the STD risk if I have unprotected oral sex?
Q: My doctor just told me I tested positive for Hepatitis C. I’m in complete shock. How did this happen? He said that I need to see a specialist to get treatment, that I can get cured even, but I can’t wrap my head around this. I live such a safe life, how did I get this disease? Do I have to tell my sexual partners that I have it? I heard that the treatment feels terrible and you have to take it for a whole year, is that true? If I don’t get treated, is it going to kill me? I’m so freaked out right now.
Q: I got diagnosed with HPV a bit ago but just got my first bout of warts. I’m wondering what to do — do they go away on their own? Is there something I can do at home to take care of them, like something over the counter or a home remedy that makes genital warts disappear? My doctor said if I got any warts to come back to the clinic and she’d burn them off, which kinda freaks me out. I’d rather not go to the doctor if I can do this myself.
Q: My mom sent me a scary email the other day about how her doctor friend told her if I get an STD I’ll never be able to have kids. That freaked me out because I definitely see being a mom in my future, and I don’t want my decisions now to impact that future. So is it true? Can STDs affect your fertility?
Q: I’ve been dealing with some intense itchiness for five days now. I have this rash all over my skin that has gross pimples and redness. I’m super worried it’s an STD because I slept with a new guy a few weeks ago and now I’m having an itchy gross freakout. I didn’t notice a rash on him but it was dark and I wasn’t really paying attention to his skin because, you know, I was hooking up. But now I feel terrible and it’s not going away. I Googled it and it looks like it might be scabies! What is that and what do I do?
Q: I have questions about testing. I just got out of a long-term monogamous relationship where I didn’t really have to think about testing, but now that I’m single I realize I don’t know how often to get tested. I’m chatting with all these guys on dating sites and I want to get out there, but I also want to be safe and be able to tell them real information about being clean. Do I need to get tested before each new person if we’re using condoms?