by Heather Corinna

Based on any one instance of the following, you may/can have been at risk for transmitting (giving to someone else) or contracting (getting it yourself) the following diseases and infections:

Vaginal or anal intercourse, or vaginal intercourse with a condom that has also been used for anal intercourse:

• Bacterial Vaginosis
• Chlamydia
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis
• Herpes Simplex
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Human Papilloma Virus (HPV, Warts)
• Molluscum Contagiosum
• Pubic Lice
• Scabies
• Syphilis
• Trichomoniasis

(Vaginal intercourse and potentially anal intercourse also present risks of pregnancy between opposite-sex couples)

Oral sex:

("blow job," "giving head," "going down," "rimming")

• Chlamydia
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• Gonorrhea
• Hepatitis
• Herpes Simplex
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Molluscum Contagiosum
• Syphilis

Manual sex:

("hand job," or "fingering")

• Bacterial Vaginosis
• Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• Herpes Simplex
• Human Papilloma Virus (HPV, Warts)
• Molluscum Contagiosum
• Pubic Lice
• Scabies

Safer sex - using latex barriers, getting regular and complete STI testing, and adapting lifestyle issues -- vastly reduces these risks.

So, if you're sexually active and not practicing safer sex, or not sure if you are, check out how, and hop on it! And once you've started becoming in any way sexually active, it's time to start getting into your doctor or sexual healthcare clinic's office for those yearly tests.