These Are All The STDs You Can Get Without Actually Having Sex
"Did you guys hook up?"
It's such a vague question. Did you "hook up" and make out with your clothes on? Did you "hook up" and make sweet, sweet love all night? Did you "hook up" and make out naked? Did you "hook up" and have oral sex but no real penetration? You see what I mean -- sh*t's confusing.
I guess most sexually active people would consider a "real" hookup to involve some sort of penetration (anal or vaginal). I mean, that is the kind that can give you diseases, right? Wrong.
You can get diseases when you don't actually have penetrative sex, too, guys. Sucks, I know. But it's true. And we should know more about it. So I interviewed Jill Guelich, an OB-GYN in San Francisco, who gave me a nice working list of the diseases you can contract during a "hookup" that involves no sort of vaginal or anal penetration. Then I turned to the Center for Disease Control to find out exactly what these diseases are and how we can treat them.
Read through this list and INFORM YOURSELVES. Just because you didn't "really hook up" doesn't mean you're not at risk of getting something.
Pubic lice and crabs
What is it?
Simply put, pubic lice is a lice infestation on your pubes.
How can you get it without sex?
Skin-to-skin contact.
How do you treat it?
According to the Center for Disease Control, "a lice-killing lotion containing 1% permethrin or a mousse containing pyrethrins and piperonyl butoxide can be used to treat pubic ('crab') lice."
Molluscum contagiosum
What is it?
If you had never heard of this before, don't worry — I hadn't either. According to the Center for Disease Control, molluscum contagiosum "is usually a benign, mild skin disease characterized by lesions (growths) that may appear anywhere on the body."
How can you get it without sex?
Skin-to-skin contact.
How do you treat it?
There are physical, oral AND topical treatment options for molluscum contagiosum. The CDC explains you can physically treat it through "cryotherapy (freezing the lesion with liquid nitrogen), curettage (the piercing of the core and scraping of caseous or cheesy material), and laser therapy."
If you want a less painful option, you can opt for oral therapy that will get rid of the disease more gradually. For a topical option, the CDC recommends Podophyllotoxin cream (0.5%) as a good at-home option for men.
Herpes
What is it?
We've all heard about genital herpes. But what is herpes, really?
According to the CDC, it "is an STD caused by two types of viruses. The viruses are called herpes simplex type 1 and herpes simplex type 2."
Now if you're anything like me and that might as well have been Mandarin, herpes is what happens when you have one or more genital blisters that eventually burst and remain as painful sores.
How can you get it without sex?
Both skin-to-skin contact and oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
Hate to be the barer of bad news, but there is no cure for herpes. But there is a silver lining to this cloud, you guys! There are medications you can get to help shorten outbreaks, and there's even one you can take every day to reduce the chances you'll spread it.
HPV
What is it?
HPV is the most common STI. According to the CDC, "HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives. There are many different types of HPV. Some types can cause health problems including genital warts and cancers."
How can you get it without sex?
Both skin-to-skin contact and oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
Unlike herpes, HPV can be treated. First of all, there is a preventative vaccine that you can get. If you still contract it, you can meet with your doctor to discuss treatment options, depending on the sort of HPV you have contracted.
Chlamydia
What is it?
Although chlamydia can be contracted by both men and women, it most notably "can cause serious, permanent damage to a woman's reproductive system, making it difficult or impossible for her to get pregnant later on."
How can you get it without sex?
Oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
You don't have to freak out too much if diagnosed with chlamydia. Turns out it is easily treated with antibiotics.
Gonorrhea
What is it?
According to the CDC, gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease found in both men and women that "can cause infections in the genitals, rectum and throat."
How can you get it without sex?
Oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
Although antibiotics have been being used to treat gonorrhea for decades, the bacteria has developed a resistance to most drugs used to treat it. For this reason, the CDC recommends dual therapy (using two drugs) for gonorrhea treatment.
Syphilis
What is it?
Be careful of syphilis, you guys. According to the CDC, it is a disease that can cause long-term complications if treated incorrectly.
Its symptoms are divided into stages: primary, secondary, latent, and late syphilis. What are the symptoms? Well, they are actually a little confusing to try to figure out:
"Syphilis has been called 'the great imitator' because it has so many possible symptoms, many of which look like symptoms from other diseases."
From the small, painless sores during the primary stage to a non-itchy rash covering your body during the secondary stage, I'd say just go to the doctor if you notice anything out of the ordinary. Better safe than sorry!
How can you get it without sex?
Oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
According to the CDC, "a single intramuscular injection of long acting Benzathine penicillin G (2.4 million units administered intramuscularly) will cure a person who has primary, secondary or early latent syphilis."
Hepatitis B
What is it?
Turns out your Friday night drinks aren't the only thing that can f*ck up your liver. Hepatitis B is defined by the CDC as "a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV)." It varies case by case, but it can be either a short or long-term illness.
How can you get it without sex?
Oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
You can prevent contraction by getting vaccinated. Once you have contracted the illness, your treatment depends on the type you have contracted. If you have an acute infection, there is only supportive treatment available (no medication). Chronic infection can be treated with antiviral medications.
Hepatitis C
What is it?
Like hepatitis B, hepatitis C is also a liver infection. But this one is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). While it is a short-term illness for some people, it becomes a chronic long-term infection for 70-85% of infected people.
In case you were wondering, chronic hepatitis C is no joke. It can result in serious health problems, even death. But here's some GOOD NEWS: According to the CDC, the large majority of hepatitis C cases today are caused by injection of drugs ... not a sexless hook-up.
How can you get it without sex?
Oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
According to the CDC, "In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration approved two new direct acting antiviral drugs, Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi™) and Simeprevir (Olysio™) to treat chronic HCV infection."
H.I.V.
What is it?
Okay, I'm not even going to bother trying to explain this one in my own words. So here are the CDC's words:
HIV is a virus spread through certain body fluids that attacks the body's immune system, specifically the CD4 cells, often called T cells. Over time, HIV can destroy so many of these cells that the body can't fight off infections and disease. These special cells help the immune system fight off infections. Untreated, HIV reduces the number of CD4 cells (T cells) in the body. This damage to the immune system makes it harder and harder for the body to fight off infections and some other diseases. Opportunistic infections or cancers take advantage of a very weak immune system and signal that the person has AIDS.
How can you get it without sex?
Oral-genital contact.
How do you treat it?
As I'm sure you may already know, there is no effective cure for HIV as of now. But it can be controlled with proper medical care.
