To make healthy choices you need the right information. It’s your life and your decision!
If you are not sexually active now, you can learn what you need to know to protect your health
when you become sexually active. If you are sexually active, there is a good chance you will
come in contact at some point with someone who has a sexually transmitted disease (STD).
You can't get an STD from a public bathroom, or from kissing, or even from dry humping with
clothes on. You can get STDs from skin-to-skin contact or by getting vaginal fluids, semen
(cum), or feces (poop) on you or in you during sex. Many STDs can be transmitted by
unprotected oral, anal, and vaginal sex. When untreated, STDs can increase risk of other STDs
including HIV, cause miscarriages, infertility, liver diseases, loss of work and can infect babies
before and during birth.

African Americans in Multnomah County between the ages of 15 to 24 are nearly six times
more likely to get Chlamydia and gonorrhea infections compared to white people in the same
category. And while the numbers of African Americans becoming infected with HIV are much
lower here than in other parts of the country, Black people still have higher rates of new
infection than people of other races and ethnicities.

Youth --whether straight, gay, bi or trans gender -- are particularly at risk for STDs.
Young people can get STDs more easily than older adults because their bodies are not fully
developed. Also, more young people have STDs. Each year, 3 million teens are infected.
That's 1 out of every 4 sexually active youth. That’s a whole lotta dis-ease goin’ round.

Things that increase your chances of getting an STD or HIV are:

• 3+ sex partners in one year
• getting loaded on alcohol or drugs before sex
• meeting sex partners on the internet or in public sex environments (bathhouses,
adult bookstores, parks)
• exchanging money for sex
• having more than one sexual partner
• having had an STD in the past 3 months

There are ways to protect yourself and others and still have a grand time:

• Get regular STD checkups (community resources/health clinics)
• Use latex condoms
• Limit your number of sexual partners
• Got symptoms? Get to a doctor right away.
• Talk to your sex partners about sex and STDs.
• Have fun. Be sexy. Stay healthy.

If you are sexually active, we recommend regular STD check-ups every three months,
more often if you're having a busy month (more than your usual number of partners).
Regular checkups are provided free or low-cost at the MCHD STD Clinic.

www.mchealth.org/std/