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How to Reduce the STD Risks of Sharing Sex Toys

Depending on how sex toys are used, they can come in contact with vaginal fluids, blood, or feces. And because each of these things can carry diseases, it's a bad idea to share sex toys—that is, to use the same toy on two different people—without taking proper precautions. In addition, some toys can crack or develop holes over time where dangerous bacteria can easily hide out.

How to reduce risk
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle, says the best way to be safe with sex toys is to use condoms and change the condom each time the toy changes partners or moves from one area of the body to another (especially after being used on the anus). "And make sure you clean it very well," she says.

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Salespeople at sex-toy shops can help you figure out proper cleaning methods. Cleaning often involves soap and water, or even a run through the dishwasher. Submersion in boiling water might also be a good idea, depending on the material the toy is made of and the type of toy it is (such as whether it has moving or electric parts). Sex-toy emporium Babeland offers a comprehensive guide to toy cleaning and care.

STDs are not the only safety issue surrounding sex toys; some users make a point of avoiding products made with compounds called phthalates for fear they may be toxic. The science is not conclusive, but shoppers may want to look for toys made with other materials instead, such as silicone.
Lead writer: Nick Burns

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STD Risks of Anal Penetration

Unprotected anal sex, regardless of whether it is practiced by straight or gay couples, is considered the riskiest activity for sexually transmitted diseases because of the physical design of the anus: It is narrow, it does not self-lubricate, and the skin is more fragile and likely to tear, allowing STDs such as HIV and hepatitis easy passage into the bloodstream.

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"Anal sex produces a certain amount of trauma to the body and that's a problem, especially for HIV," says Myron Cohen, MD, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

To make matters worse, the area is an ideal home for STDs. Bacterial infections such as gonorrhea and chlamydia love warm, moist environments and the type of cells that line the anus.

While unprotected anal sex is much more risky for the receptive partner, the insertive partner is not free from risk. And both partners are susceptible to picking up herpes, syphilis, and HPV even if they use a condom, because sores and warts can reside both inside and outside the anus. In the case of herpes, transmission can occur even in the absence of any genital lesions.

How to reduce risk
Wearing a condom is the best way to reduce the risk of STD transmission. It won't protect you 100% because it won't cover all the areas in which STDs can lurk. And when not worn correctly, condoms can break. But wrap it up correctly every time and you'll drastically reduce your risk. Use plenty of lube, both for the receptive partner's comfort and to reduce the risk of abrasion or small tears to the tissue, which can make STD transmission easier.
Lead writer: Nick Burns

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How to Reduce the STD Risks of Vaginal Intercourse

T

he risks: HIV, herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, HPV (warts), syphilis, trichomoniasis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C

Vaginal intercourse is unlike other forms of sexual activity because it includes the risk of unwanted pregnancy, on top of all the STD risks.

Although the chance of contracting or transmitting HIV during vaginal intercourse is lower than during receptive anal intercourse, it is still very much a risk, and unprotected vaginal sex is especially risky for women.

Also, if your vagina is dry because of hormonal changes due to menopause or birth-control pills, it can get tiny abrasions that make HIV transmission easier. Broken skin of any kind invites HIV infection during unprotected vaginal intercourse, including herpes lesions

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HIV and Safer Sex

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than one million Americans are currently infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although its prevalence is higher in certain cities, among African Americans, and among men who have sex with other men, anyone can get HIV. And Americans continue to become infected at high rates partly because of the widespread belief that you won't get it if you're heterosexual, white, or educated.

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Here are six reasons to use a condom every time you have sex.
HIV is incurable.
It is fatal when not treated.
The medications to keep it under control have notoriously difficult side effects.
Condoms, when used correctly, are highly effective at blocking HIV transmission.
Most symptoms of HIV infection are invisible.
It is believed that one out of every four Americans living with HIV doesn't know he or she has it.
For more information about preventing HIV and living with it if you're infected, visit POZ.com.
Lead writer: Louise Sloan

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Can Circumcision Prevent the Spread of Herpes, HPV, Other STDs?

Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), but not syphilis.

This finding—published in a March, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine—adds to the evidence that there are health benefits to circumcision, the surgical removal of the penis foreskin, usually performed on newborns shortly after birth. It was already known that circumcision can reduce the risk of penile cancer, a relatively rare disease, as well as the risk of HIV infection.

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But in the United States, newborn circumcision is an elective procedure, and rates are declining. (See a picture of a penis before and after circumcision.) In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics reviewed evidence of the potential risks, benefits, and costs of circumcision, and declined to recommend the procedure for all newborns.

Circumcision should never be performed strictly because it seems to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, experts agree, and it's important to note that circumcision should not be considered appropriate protection. Practicing safe sex, including using condoms, is still necessary to provide the best protection, whether a person is circumcised or not.

Still, many scientists are hoping that this new research may persuade recommending bodies, both in the United States and around the world, to give the circumcision's benefits another look.

Circumcision remains a controversial topic
In the United States, infant circumcision is declining. About 64% of American male infants were circumcised in 1995, down from more than 90% in the 1970s. Rates tend to be higher in whites (81%) than in blacks (65%) or Hispanics (54%).

Some opponents say the removal of the foreskin is an unnecessary surgical procedure that may reduce sexual sensitivity in adulthood. In Jewish and Muslim cultures, young or infant boys are routinely circumcised for religious reasons. Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but the American Academy of Pediatrics currently says that the medical benefits are insufficient to recommend circumcision for all baby boys.

Study coauthor Thomas C. Quinn, MD, professor of global health at Johns Hopkins University, says that choosing circumcision, whether it’s the parents of an infant or an adult male for himself, is and should remain an individual decision.

“But the critics need to really look at the benefits versus the risks,” he adds. “By now a large body of evidence has shown that the health benefits clearly outweigh the minor risk associated with the surgery. In our study, we didn’t see any adverse effects or mutilation. We’re recommending supervised, safe, sterile environments—not circumcision out in an open field with rusty instruments.”

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Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), but not syphilis.

This finding—published in a March, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine—adds to the evidence that there are health benefits to circumcision, the surgical removal of the penis foreskin, usually performed on newborns shortly after birth. It was already known that circumcision can reduce the risk of penile cancer, a relatively rare disease, as well as the risk of HIV infection.

Who's Most at Risk for STDs?
It's not who you are, but what you do Read more

More about safer sex
What Is Safer Sex?
HPV, Herpes, and Chlamydia
10 Questions to Ask a New Sex Partner
But in the United States, newborn circumcision is an elective procedure, and rates are declining. (See a picture of a penis before and after circumcision.) In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics reviewed evidence of the potential risks, benefits, and costs of circumcision, and declined to recommend the procedure for all newborns.

Circumcision should never be performed strictly because it seems to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections, experts agree, and it's important to note that circumcision should not be considered appropriate protection. Practicing safe sex, including using condoms, is still necessary to provide the best protection, whether a person is circumcised or not.

Still, many scientists are hoping that this new research may persuade recommending bodies, both in the United States and around the world, to give the circumcision's benefits another look.

Circumcision remains a controversial topic
In the United States, infant circumcision is declining. About 64% of American male infants were circumcised in 1995, down from more than 90% in the 1970s. Rates tend to be higher in whites (81%) than in blacks (65%) or Hispanics (54%).

Some opponents say the removal of the foreskin is an unnecessary surgical procedure that may reduce sexual sensitivity in adulthood. In Jewish and Muslim cultures, young or infant boys are routinely circumcised for religious reasons. Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but the American Academy of Pediatrics currently says that the medical benefits are insufficient to recommend circumcision for all baby boys.

Study coauthor Thomas C. Quinn, MD, professor of global health at Johns Hopkins University, says that choosing circumcision, whether it’s the parents of an infant or an adult male for himself, is and should remain an individual decision.

“But the critics need to really look at the benefits versus the risks,” he adds. “By now a large body of evidence has shown that the health benefits clearly outweigh the minor risk associated with the surgery. In our study, we didn’t see any adverse effects or mutilation. We’re recommending supervised, safe, sterile environments—not circumcision out in an open field with rusty instruments.”

copy from www.health.com