I think it doesn't matter what you call it STD'S/STI'S will always have a stigma attached to them.

I agree with cubadog, and I think they should have a stigma attached to them. They are far too common now, and I don't want to see it get worse.

I completely agree. I'm not saying that everyone who has an STI has done something to deserve it because that is certainly not the case. The fact that these ARE aggressive diseases transmitted through unprotected sex (and sometimes drug use) is reason enough to call them diseases. Besides, I hardly think HIV/AIDS qualifies as "an infection."

I'm ok with STD's/STI's having negative connotations.

I am still going to call them STD's out of habit, PC be darned.

I think the PC element is hilarious. Disease means you aren't at ease... something is not right... such as an infection. It is just funny for such a serious subject. When I have taught this subject to college kids and used the phrase STI they still kind of go, "ewwww."

STIs is more medically precise, but it still carries the same stigma as STDs.

Makes sense to me, if can be cured with antibiotics it is an infection and not necessarily a disease I would think.

If calling them STIs get people to talk about them, then great. These NEED to be talked about to prevent people from getting and transmitting them.

I would like to clarify so there is no misunderstanding me. I DO NOT think there should be a stigma associated with STD'S or STI'S no one deserves to get any kind if infection or disease.

STI & STD unfortunately still carry the same stigma.

However, from my understanding of the article yesterday herpes is incurable. So is it a STI or a STD?
Are any of them still called 'STD'? Cause I agree with the above poster about HIV/AIDS.
"I hardly think HIV/AIDS qualifies as "an infection.""

I think STI sounds scarier b/c I'm so used to STD... either way they need to be eradicanted with testing and safe sex....People need to be honest and upfront about their sexual health....

I don't think STIs should have a stigma attached to them. Anybody who's had sex can have an STI — and four out of five women, I believe, have HPV. So before we all go pointing fingers, keep in mind that statistically, unless you are a virgin, you probably have HPV. (I do. I found out through an abnormal Pap smear, and it's all OK now. And yes, I've always used condoms — they don't protect fully.)

Having a sexually transmitted disease or infection doesn't make you a bad person, it doesn't make you "dirty," and it doesn't mean you've slept with 100 people. I'm glad we're having this conversation — I think so few people talk about health issues regarding sex, and it's such an important thing! Can't wait to see what everyone has to say.

Great comments, Bella

Very well put Bella!

Either way, they are both disgusting and people should have enough common senst to protect themselves during sex.

Enough with this PC crap! STD carries a stigma and rightly so. I'm not saying everyone who has an STD is at fault but frankly a lot of people have unsafe sex and sleep around too much and an STD is the price you pay for that. If someone doesn't want the stigma of an STD then maybe they should be more careful. Once again I know it isn't always that persons fault. Sometimes your boyfriend cheats or that sort of thing but to my knowledge that is a not the most common way of contracting an STD.

Bravo, Bella!

Also, I know there are the ocassional "one night stands" and I'm not condeming that but I think people should know that diseases are out there and noone is exempt from getting them. STD's/STI's are increasing daily and I would think that women would be more careful, and men as well.

Golf claps Bella. I hope all of you that are so quick to judge and fault people aren't ever in the unfortunate position of dealing with any STD or STI. Nobody is perfect just like protection isn't 100% perfect.

Thank you for posting this! I was wondering why it was suddenly STI.

And for the record, a good friend of mine got HPV from her cheating husband, so not everyone who gets an STD/STI is a ho/promiscuous or whatever.

STI emphasizes the infectious nature of the condition, the potential lack of symptoms or obvious disease, and the fact that some types (like gonorrhea) can be cured and then caught again.

It will be a little hard to make the mental switch in vocabulary, but I think it's for the best. In the early 1990s the popular name changed from VD (venereal disease) to STD, so I think it can change again.

Maybe it's just me, but I think that "STI" has the same stigma as "STD". It really doesn't seem any different in my mind. I'm probably going to keep calling it STD for at least a few years, out of habit.

I really think it's more the "sexually transmitted" part that carries the stigma than the third word. As in, "oh, you got this disease/infection from having sex, you must be dirty and promiscuous" (note that I am NOT saying I personally believe that people with STIs are, I am completely aware of everything Bella said, I'm just saying that that's the general take on STIs that I've experienced).

But you can't get rid of herpes/AIDS! I'm kind of paranoid about those, so i think it's fair to call them diseases.

7kimba7, condolences to your friend for dealing with a medical condition that has an emotionally trying slant.

Lambsauce, thanks for perfectly articulating why regardless if it ends in "disease" or "infection", "sexually transmitted"-anything is a kin to wearing a scarlet letter.

STDs should have a negative stigma to them. Otherwise, how would we encourage people to have safe sex. You certainly don't want people to see them in a positive light. They can cause lifelong effects and symptoms. When, what 4/5 teenage girls, have an STD of some sort, we certainly shouldn't be making them a "rite of passage." Just because a lot of people contract an STD as some point in there life, doesn't make it ok!

STI sounds better to me especially for the curable ones.

claps to bella

Bella..you are very well educated and I highly respect what you said and agree. People have this misconception that if you have an STD/STI, you sleep around with a lot of people, you don't use safe sex, etc. Its bull. Condoms are not 100% effective against herpes and HPV. Anyone who has any form of sexual activity (oral, anal, or vaginal) can get an STI/STD and you may not even realize you have one because chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HPV can be asymptomatic, especially in women (up to 80%). There is a negative stigma because people don't educate themselves and are of the opinion that only people that "sleep around and don't use protection" get STDs/STIs. You can get an STD if you are a virgin and have protected sex with a partner who has had several partners and has an infection that the condom does not cover. This happened to my friend. Granted, an STD/STI is not a good thing, but people don't need to look down on others for getting one or having one. Having multiple partners just puts you at a higher risk. And using protection is not "safe sex" it's just "less risky" sex. The way to prevent so many STDs from spreading is mainly for people to get tested often before and after each partner, to limit the number of partners, to become educated about STDs outside of what they teach people in high school bc that is pathetic, and to get rid of the stigma. The stigma attached contributes to why it is spread, because people don't want to talk about it because they are afraid of being embarressed, mocked, criticized, etc. If people aren't willing to talk about it, then they aren't going to tell their partners and its going to continue to spread like wildfire.

8=============D~~~~~~~~

The two acronyms mean absolutely THE SAME THING - and STIGMA serves a purpose. STIGMA has saved countless lives. We EVOLVED STIGMA for a reason.

First, nowhere in "disease" do I assume there are visual symptoms. Second, nowhere in "infection" do I assume there are no visual symptoms. An infection is a disease, therefore if it is a sexually transmitted infection, it is by nature a sexually transmitted disease. Rather than creating a new acronym, I encourage you to use more expressive language like "asymptomatic" or "without symptoms" to emphasize an agent may still be contagious although it is not causing recognizable symptoms.