It seems that a lot of men have not had sex education in school or are unaware of testing for stds so I wanted to make a post about it. And no, you cannot assume you're std free just because your ex was tested; you need your own tests!

TYPES OF STD TESTING

A full screening of STD testing is more than just peeing into a cup; you have to get your blood drawn too! These are the most common std to test for and how they are tested:

Blood Drawn - HIV, HSV 1, HSV 2 (HSV is herpes), Syphilis, and Hep C

Pee in a Cup: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Trichomoniasis

WHEN TO GET TESTED

When you have sex with someone and contract an std, you have to wait a minimum of 4 weeks to get tested for most STDs before it will show up as a positive result so testing any sooner than that is pointless.

COMMON THINGS I HEAR THAT ARE MISLEADING

1. My ex tested negative so I'm "clean" - this is highly false!!! Just because your ex is negative does not mean you are. Also, if they had an encounter even a few days before having sex with you, it wouldn't be an accurate result. Get your own test!

2. I only had sex with a few people who were virgins so I don't need tested - Did you see their test results? What proof do you have that they were a virgin? Get tested!

3. I have no symptoms so I'm "clean" - Most STDs don't present symptoms as some people are just carriers of the viruses. Usually bacteria will show symptoms but viruses may not show anything for quite a long time. Get tested!!

4. It's only a blowjob, I don't need tested - Oral sex is still sex. You can still get things from oral sex. Get tested!!

5. I had a physical done and they drew blood so I should be clean - Did they actually test for those STDs? Just because you get your blood drawn does not mean they tested for those viruses. Verify that they tested you for stds too!!

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

• For HIV, you can get on PreP. If taken consistently, it will greatly reduce your risk of contracting HIV. Talk to your doctor about this!

• HPV Vaccine - Gardasil - HPV is the virus that causes common warts, genital warts, and even some cancers. Luckily, there is a vaccine called Gardasil that is available in a 3 dose over 12 months you can take that will greatly reduce your chances of contracting visible genital warts and some cancers. It's available for females AND males! Get this done before you're even more sexually active.