Due to sorority blitz lists and their powers of persuasion, rumor had it that The Herp has been circulating around campus. According to Dick's House, they haven't actually seen any more cases than usual, not that that should make us feel any better about the risks involved in sexual behavior. I'm with the survey respondent who wrote, "STD statistics scare the sh*t out of me."
According to WebMD.com, one out of every four to five American adults and adolescents has genital herpes, 20 to 25 percent. However, only seven percent of survey respondents reported having had a sexually transmitted infection of any kind. Maybe smart kids who elect to go live in the woods don't get diseases as readily as the general population. More likely, the other 13 to 18 percent of infected people are too busy to answer those pesky sex surveys because they are locked in their rooms having promiscuous sex or self-flagellating, or perhaps engaging in the former, then the latter.
In any event, we can all agree that warts are not attractive, and contracting an STI would be a major bummer if not a total catastrophe depending on the severity of the condition. STIs are yucky and scary and nobody wants to get one, but we still seem to be engaging in relatively risky behaviors. Twenty-five percent of females and 20 percent of males report using condoms during intercourse "never," "very infrequently," "infrequently" or "sometimes."
Many commentators pointed out that the reason they do not use protection is that they are in long-term, monogamous relationships and use oral contraceptives. That's peachy, but still not 100 percent safe. If either partner is cheating, then both are at risk. It would really suck to find out that not only did your skeezy boyfriend/girlfriend cheat on you, but they also gave you a scorching case of Chlamydia as a parting gift. In light of this unhappy possibility as well as the fact that the pill is not quite foolproof, some long-term couples continue to wrap it up. "My girlfriend and I have been dating for a year and a half, and we still use condoms," wrote one male respondent.
While the statistics about condom use during intercourse are pretty scary in and of themselves, students are even more lax about protection when it comes to oral sex. The survey results indicate that almost no one uses condoms or a dental dam during oral sex.
As one female commentator writes, "We all know we're supposed to use condoms for oral sex, but I feel like no one actually does. Mmmm ... latex. Come on!" Another female respondent laments this fact, writing, "I wish it were more accepted to require a guy to wear a condom before giving him head. I almost never give head, in a large part just to avoid this issue." It seems to me that more relaxed attitudes about using protection during oral sex stems from the fact that (as I learned from a previous survey) most students don't actually consider oral sex to be sex. It stands to reason that if the act is considered less serious, students are less likely to take precautions.
This problem is compounded by the fact that a discussion of each partner's sexual past is far from requisite for engaging in sexual activity. Even if a discussion did take place, it's unlikely that oral sex would be brought up as part of the equation. According to a female respondent, "If someone asked about my sexual history I would be open with them about it; however, no one at Dartmouth has ever asked." As one male respondent who confirms her sentiment says, "Usually before putting a condom on, you don't ask your partner, 'Hey, do you have a sexually transmitted disease?' It doesn't work like that."
He does have a point. From what I've seen, asking if the object of your affection has ever had an HPV vaccine is not an effective pick-up line. "I suffer from genital warts however I have been treated and am no longer contagious" doesn't sound much like most people's idea of dirty-talk.
I also feel compelled to add that if you are/hook up with one of those guys who complains about wearing a condom during sex because it doesn't feel as good, I would remind you/him that untreated gonorrhea that causes your willy to fall off doesn't feel as good as having sex with a condom.
Personally, I am of the opinion that people should do what they want to do, but be safe while doing it. If you make the decision to have sex, promiscuously or otherwise, it's important to get tested. Normally, I think everyone has a right to mess up their own lives as much as they like, but when it comes to sex, (unless you're a solo operator) our actions affect others and it is therefore our responsibility to be tested regularly and to inform our partners if they are being put at risk.
-Seven percent of respondents report having had a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
-Five percent of male respondents and four percent of female respondents report that they currently have an STI.
-Fifteen percent of males and 25 percent of females report having had an STI test within the last six months.
-Forty-five percent of males and 50 percent of females report that the possibility of contracting an STI is "a very important factor" considered when deciding whether or not to engage in sexual activity.
-Eighty percent of males and 72 percent of females report that they never use a condom or dental dam during oral sex.
-Sixty-eight percent of males and 75 percent of females would not engage in protected sexual activity with a partner whom they knew to have an STI.
