The document discusses common myths and facts about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, emphasizing the importance of sexual health screening and proper prevention methods. It highlights that many STIs are asymptomatic, can be transmitted through various sexual activities, and certain misconceptions about condoms, testing, and infection risks. It also addresses the significance of STI testing for pregnant women and the potential impact of STIs on maternal and infant health.

1. Demystifying
Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STIs)
Dr Ravi Gokhale
Consultant Physician GUM and HIV

2. Session will cover
• New integrated Sexual Health Service
• Myths about STIs
• Myths about HIV
• STI preventions

3. You can't get an STI if your partner
is a virgin
FALSE
•Many STIs spread through any type of sexual activity,
including skin to skin contact and oral sex. The partner
might not have had vaginal sex, but may have had oral sex
with someone (and still consider themselves a virgin), they
would have been at risk of an STI
•However, this will be true if the partner has not had any
type of sex

4. If there are no symptoms, there is no
STI
FALSE
•The majority of STIs do not cause symptoms. Sometimes
symptoms are so mild to the point whereby more urgent
problems that STI could be mistaken for something else. For
example chlamydia or gonorrhoea symptoms could be
mistaken for urinary tract infection

5. My partner has had a negative test
for everything. I don’t need to worry
about anything!
FALSE
•Up to 50% of partners of patients with an STI have a
negative STI test. Most STIs do not cause any
symptoms. An infection could have been acquired
previous partners without knowing. The only way to be
reliably sure of a being negative for STIs is to be tested.

6. Men who go to GUM clinics have to
have an ‘umbrella test’ for STIs
FALSE
•Men’s urine samples are used to test for chlamydia and
gonorrhoea if they have no symptoms. When symptoms
are present very small swabs are used which cause very
little or no discomfort

7. You can get an STI by using sex toys
TRUE
•You can get an STI by using sex toys or other objects, if
previously used by someone with an STI. A new condom
should be used on sex toys or other objects for each
person that uses them, to prevent catching or passing on
STIs.

8. I always use a condoms surely I do
not need a test?
MAY BE TRUE if condoms are used every type of sex
•If someone has received or given oral or anal sex without
condoms there is an STI risk and they should have a
sexual health screen .

9. Women who have sex with women
can get STIs
TRUE
•If a woman has an STI and has sex with another woman,
the infection can be passed on through vaginal fluid
(including fluid on shared sex toys), blood or close body
contact.

10. You can get an STI from a toilet seat
FALSE
• STIs are not generally passed through coming in
contact with toilet seat as the organisms do not survive
for very long outside the body.

11. STIs can go undetected for years
TRUE
•50-70% of people with chlamydia have no symptoms, and
it's sometimes called the silent disease. People with HIV
can look and feel healthy for years after they are infected.
Syphilis can also be present for years as sometimes the
symptoms are not noticed

12. You cannot get an STI through oral
sex
FALSE
• During oral sex STI can be passed on from one partner
to another
• Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, herpes and syphilis can each
spread through oral sex. Presence of blood raises the
risk of HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C

13. How do I make oral sex safer?
• Reducing the number of partners with whom you have
oral sex.
• Avoiding oral sex with ejaculation reduces the risk of HIV
(and possibly other infections)
• Insertive fellatio (being sucked) is lower risk than
receptive fellatio (sucking a penis).
• Avoid brushing teeth or flossing before having oral sex.
• Avoid oral sex if you have oral cuts or sores, or a sore
throat.
• Use condoms for fellatio.

15. Images from Derma.net

16. You can pass on herpes only during
its outbreaks
FALSE
•The herpes virus can spread through skin-to-skin contact
and at most times as the virus can be shed even when
there are no symptoms. Use of condoms significantly
reduces (but does not completely stop) the spread of
herpes

17. STIs and pregnancy
• It is important for pregnant women to consider being
checked for STIs. They can cause women to go into
labour too early and may complicate delivery.
• Many STIs can be passed from mother to baby during
pregnancy, childbirth or after the baby is born.
• The effect of an STI on a baby can include stillbirth, low
birth weight, neurological problems, blindness, liver
disease and serious infection. There are treatments to
minimise these risks.
• Treatment during pregnancy can cure some STIs and
reduce the risk of passing the infection to your baby.

18. HIV

19. HIV and AIDs are the same thing
FALSE
•If someone is living with HIV it means that they have HIV
virus in their body. A person is considered to have AIDs if
their immune system is so weak that it can no longer cope
with a variety of diseases which it will normally cope with

20. It takes months before you can have
a test and get the results to find out
if you have HIV
FALSE
•Testing for HIV has advanced in recent years. It is now
possible to get an HIV test with an accurate result from
four weeks after potential infection. Results can be
returned between 20 minutes and two weeks, depending
on the type of test taken.

21. My HIV test results won't be kept
confidential
I have to tell my insurance that I have
had an HIV test

22. I have had an HIV test because my
blood was taken and tested in
hospital/my GP surgery
FALSE
•Blood test at a hospital or in a GP surgery will not
automatically test for HIV. Patients are usually told if
HIV is one of the conditions they plan to test for when
they do blood tests. If HIV testing is not mentioned, it
should not be assumed an HIV test will have been done.
Without having an HIV test, it possible to have
undiagnosed HIV.

23. Only drug users and gay men can
catch HIV
FALSE
•Over the past 10 years, more heterosexual men and
women have been diagnosed with HIV than gay men
and drug users put together. It is true that gay men are
particularly affected by HIV as a group but HIV can still
affect anyone and there are many heterosexuals living
with HIV in the UK.
•The majority of new HIV diagnoses in 2010 were
acquired through heterosexual sex and approximately a
third of people with HIV in the UK are women. Anyone
who has sex without a condom or shares needles when
injecting drugs may be at risk of HIV, and should
therefore be tested.

24. You can get HIV or a STI from
getting a tattoo or through body
piercing
TRUE
•There can be a risk for HIV or another blood-borne
infection like hepatitis B or C, if the instruments used for
piercing or tattooing either are not sterilised or disinfected
between clients. Any instrument used to pierce or cut the
skin should be single use only

25. If both partners have HIV condom use
is still necessary.
TRUE
•Evidence shows that there may be
different strains of HIV. If both partners are
diagnosed with HIV it may not be the
same strain, so condoms are important to
prevent cross-infection and the passing of
other sexually transmitted infections.

26. You cannot have a baby if you or
your partner is HIV positive
FALSE
•If someone living with HIV decides to have a baby there
are options and steps that can be taken to ensure HIV is
not passed on to a negative partner or to the baby. In the
UK there is <1% chance of mother passing on HIV to the
baby if the right steps are taken

27. How is HIV passed on?
Infected body fluids
•Semen
•Vaginal secretions
•Rectal secretions
•Blood (mother to child in pregnancy)
•Breast milk
•Infected needles or syringes
•Other drug equipment
•NOT through casual day to day contact like
kissing, spitting or sharing cups and plates

28. Protection against HIV infection
• Using condoms for oral, vaginal,
anal sex or dental dam
• Not sharing needles, syringes or
other injecting equipment

29. I can not use condoms because I am too big, I am
allergic, they make me less sensitive, they cut off
my circulation
• Not using condoms is only an excuse that may result in catching
an STI
• There are different sizes and makes of condoms for any
preference. Latex-free condoms are also available for those who
are allergic to latex.
• It is important to chose the right size. A range of condoms can be
tried to find out which type fits best. Condoms are more likely to
split if too tight.
• The girth (thickness/width) of the penis may be more important
than penis length.
• To find what fits best, measure round the erect penis using a strip
of paper to find the correct diameter of condom.

31. What is safer sex?
• Safer sex means having sex with less risk of transmission
(catching or passing on) a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
• STIs include HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomonas,
Herpes simplex (Herpes simplex virus/HSV), hepatitis B, and
warts (human papilloma virus/HPV).
• The risk of catching each infection is different, and also varies
according to the type of sex you are having (such as oral, vaginal
or anal sex).
For example
• Herpes is often passed on through oral sex, but HIV is rarely
passed on this way.
• Anal sex carries the highest risk of passing on infections such as
HIV and hepatitis, followed by vaginal and then oral sex.
• Non-penetrative sex (such as body rubbing and mutual
masturbation) carries the lowest risk, but some infections (such
as warts and herpes) can be passed on in this way.

32. Condom
Promotion

33. Derbyshire Community NHS Trust