Sexually Transmitted Infection

Sugar Editorial Picks

Hump Day: Is My Cold Sore Contagious?

Aug 12, 2009 - Welcome to Hump Day, TrèsSugar's sex advice column! Are you confused about sex? Do you have trouble having an orgasm? - 16 Comments

Why Are STDs Now Called STIs?

Mar 21, 2008 - I'm sure many of you were taught about STDs in your sex ed class yet you've probably noticed that I refer to them as STIs, so why the change in terms? STD stands for sexually transmitted disease. STI stands for sexually transmitted infection. - 31 Comments

Genital Herpes 101

Mar 20, 2008 - A couple days ago I posted Handle This: He Has Herpes and some of your comments let me know that we could all use a refresher course on this STI. Genital herpes is highly contagious, and is passed on through sexual contact. It's caused by a strain of herpes simplex virus (HSV), which enters your body through small cuts in your skin or mucous membranes, and then causes outbreaks of painful sores on your privates. - 10 Comments

Oral Sex Doesn't Equal Safe Sex

Feb 29, 2008 - I hate to bring up this not-so-fun topic, but I'm concerned. Many of my friends have dated guys that they wouldn't have sex because they were worried about STIs, but they didn't seem the least bit worried about having oral sex. When your mouth has contact with someone else's business, you can very well get a whole plethora of STIs — the problem is that many of these sexually transmitted infections are asymptomatic, which means you can't tell if someone is infected just by looking at them. - 16 Comments

You've Got Mail (and an STI)

Feb 15, 2008 - There may be nothing as awkward as informing a previous sexual partner that you've exposed him or her to an STI, but it's also one of the best things that you can do. Unfortunately, many people think that shame outweighs doing what's right, and thus, STIs continue to thrive. Now InSpot.org, a site based in San Francisco, assists people in anonymously notifying their partners about possible exposure to an STI through email. - 7 Comments

What Do You Know About HIV?

Dec 03, 2007 - Saturday was World AIDS Day, and I just saw an article about how the amount of cases of young Americans contracting HIV is on the rise. For young people aged 20 to 24, cases of new infection have climbed steadily, from 3,184 in 2001 to 3,876 in 2005 making it pretty clear that some people don't know how to protect themselves. The more we know about HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, the more of a chance we have to prevent it. - 16 Comments