What are sexually transmitted infections?

What exactly are sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how can you protect yourself against them?

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are any kind of infection that passes on through unprotected sexual contact. Anyone can contract an STI. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had sex, how many partners you’ve had or have, what your gender is, or what your sexuality is. STIs don’t discriminate! You may have heard of them as STDs or sexually transmitted diseases. The word ‘disease’ implies there’s no treatment and adds to the stigma around STIs, where as ‘infection’ is much more accurate.

Not every STI has noticeable symptoms, so it can be easy to just hope you haven’t caught anything. If there are no noticeable symptoms, you may be wondering why it matters if you have an STI. A lot of STIs can cause serious health problems if we don’t treat them. So it’s really important we’re aware of the different infections, use condoms and test regularly. It’s understandable that you might feel nervous at the thought having a test. Don’t worry, most infections are easily treated.

Suit up

The best defense against STIs is to use a condom or dental dam every time you have sex. These are called barrier methods of contraception, quite simply because they put a physical barrier between you and someone else while you’re having sex. Condoms are the only contraceptive method that protects against both STIs and pregnancy. So, even if you’re using another contraceptive method to avoid getting pregnant, like the pill, you should still be using a barrier method.

Communicate

Talking about sex can feel awkward. Especially if it’s a new conversation topic. But it’s really important to have a conversation with your partners about whether or not they have had a test recently, before you have sex with them. That way you can help to keep yourself, and your partners, safe! Talking about sex gets easier with time and practice, just like anything.

Be savvy

So, be smart about the ways you have sex! You can read more about the different types of STIs in the links below. If you have more questions or you think you might have contracted an STI, you can find your nearest sexual health clinic here.