Easy Steps To Ward Off Sexually Transmitted Diseases

According to the WHO data as of 2019, more than 1 million cases of sexually transmitted infections occur daily. That means every second 15 people are diagnosed with STIs somewhere in the world. Most people meet one or another STI at one point in their lives. Sexually transmitted infections can reveal no symptoms until they develop a sexually transmitted disease (STD). As the name suggests, STIs are passed from one person to another through sex, and the best way to protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections is to say yes to safer sex.

Is It Possible to Make Sex 100% Safe?

No, it is not. The safest sex is no sex, but even abstinence cannot guarantee complete protection from STIs as there is the risk of getting the infection through non-sexual contact, e.g., sharing things with an infected person, intravenous injections, blood transfusion, etc. However, practicing safe sex help reduce the risks of getting STIs.

Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Taking responsibility in sexual relationships and creating a healthy hygiene routine can do a lot for your intimate health. Especially, it concerns such STIs as herpes, you cannot cure it completely but prevention may be a perfect approach.

Barrier protection

Use condoms and other barriers, such as female condoms, dental dams, finger cots, gloves, and whatever you may use to avoid contact with possibly infected areas. And use them with any kind of sex: vaginal, oral, and anal.

A fly in the ointment is that condoms do not protect you completely. Their effectiveness for STI is approx. 80–85%. Why is that?

1. A condom may not cover all the infected areas and prevent body contact.
2. Latex has a porous structure, and viruses may penetrate through pores that are significantly larger than them. “Male condoms made from animal products (usually lamb cecum), have pore sizes too large to prevent STI’s transmission for HIV, HPV, herpes simplex virus, and hepatitis B” – as per Swanson’s Family Medicine Review.
3. As we already noticed, you may get infected not only through intercourse. Never share a towel or other personal items with a person you suspect may be infected.

It is better to use non-nonoxynol-9 condoms. Although promoted as an extra barrier for STIs, nonoxynol-9 has not only failed as a better shield but, as the WHO suggests, increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections in women. If you apply extra lubricant, consider water-based one. Oil-based lubricants increase the chances of condom breakage or slipping.

Medications to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections

There are no approved drugs for STI protection, but some medications are used off-label to lower the risk of getting infected. Besides, with some meds, you may minimize the symptoms, for example, of existing herpes which occurred in genitals. Zovirax is a good fit for a treatment protocol if approved by the physician, but when you use the services of ihealthtran pharmacy to buy Zovirax and other drugs, you will be given a full cycle of consultation and informational assistance. New to ordering drugs online? No worries, this service is quite intuitive, and the specialists here are prepared to help you with professional answers on multiple topics ranging between the use of the meds and finding the best price and discount deals for the pharmaceuticals you need.

Find below the STIs pharma prevention methods but do not neglect to speak to your doctor about their usefulness.

Topical antiseptics and antiseptic wash

Microbicides can be used inside the vagina or rectum to prevent STIs. They may work as a barrier that does not allow viruses and infections to reach target cells. There are many types and forms (gels, ointments, liquid solutions) of them, and you better ask your doctor’s advice to choose a proper type. Also, men can use a microbicide solution to wash inside the urethra to kill a possible infection.

New research suggests that antibacterial mouthwash can prevent passing STIs through oral sex. Betadine solution is a treatment for chlamydia and also can be considered as emergency medicine. When antiseptics are used as emergency mean after intercourse they should be applied immediately after the contact or not later than 2 hours after it. If you do not have any proper antiseptics at call, you should at least wash with soap. It is not a magic remedy, but better soap than nothing. For men, urinating immediately after the contact may help. If something foreign is inside, you have a chance to wash it out.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are a common treatment for most STIs, but people also use shock doses of antibiotics as emergency medicine after a suspicious sexual contact to prevent the infection spreading. Although it makes sense, there is more than one reason why we do not recommend to do this often.

1. You do not know what the target infection is and cannot choose an antibiotic correctly.
2. Antibiotics have many side effects, including ruining microbiology of your stomach.
3. Routine use of antibiotics leads to developing tolerance of infections to antibiotics.

However, a doctor will think about the prescription of antibiotics as the first-line solution in the events when a pregnant woman has acquired STI. “The common bacterial S.T.I.s include chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. If you test positive for one of these S.T.I.s, your doctor will put you on a course of antibiotics and then test again to be sure the infection is gone. The antibiotics will not affect the fetus.” – as per The New York Times Review.

Get Vaccinated

Currently, vaccines are available for two STDs only: hepatitis B (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV).

Screening

The only way to know if someone has STI is a test. Ideally, you should develop a habit to screen yourself for STIs twice a year, the same as you see your dentist. If not that often, you definitely should visit a clinic for STD Tests if you were involved in uncontrolled sexual behavior or had sex with someone you know has STDs or had in the past. Consult a doctor which test you better have. Among the most essential: HIV, Herpes, and HPV tests.

Limit the number of your sexual contacts

The more partners you have in a short time, the higher risk for STDs. If you cannot stick to one partner, try to reduce your sexual contacts. Avoid having sex with a person you do not know. Consider refusal if you have found that your potential partner has rashes or genital sores, discharge, or any other symptoms of STDs.

Monogamy

The best way to make your sex safer is mutually monogamous relationships, which means you both agreed to have sex only with one person. Monogamy implies trust, responsibility, and cooperation. If you are ready for that kind of commitment, start from open and honest talk to your partner. Before having unprotected sex, you have to get tested together or at the same time and share your test results. After that, you can enjoy greater intimacy without barriers.

Be Responsible before Others

You should think not only about your safety but about protecting others as well. If you are diagnosed with an STI, stop having sexual relationships until you are completely cured and tell your partner, or partners, they have to get tested. This includes also your past relationships up to three months back (in some cases, it can be even a year). Despite the embarrassment, be honest with others and do not spread STIs.