Q&A: I Gave My Partner Herpes, Now What Do I Do?

QUESTION: I made a huge ethical mistake and didn’t tell my partner that I have genital herpes. Now he has herpes. What should I do? I’ve always told my previous partners without any problem. Thanks for your question. Many women and men find it challenging or embarrassing to talk about sexually transmissible infections – also […]

Q&A: I Found Blood After Using a Sex Toy. What Should I Do?

QUESTION: I have already had some sexual experience with partners. And recently I inserted a sex toy into my vagina and although there was no pain there was a little blood afterwards. Is this harmful? What should I do? You Are Not Alone More than half of women and nearly half of men in the […]

Q&A: Should I Have Anal Sex Without A Condom?

QUESTION: How unsafe is anal sex without a condom? Are there any ways to do this without a condom to make it safe? Does doing it once or twice put you in serious danger? It’s not that anal sex per se is a dangerous activity. Reducing STI Risk Rather, it’s that unprotected anal sex—meaning anal […]

Q&A: My Husband Has Gonorrhea—Did He Cheat?

QUESTION: I’ve been married for five years. My husband and I were both virgins when we got married, and we never had sex with anyone else after that. A week ago, he tested positive for gonorrhea. Is gonorrhea only transmitted by sexual activity? Did my husband cheat on me? Transmitting STI’s I am sorry to […]

Q&A: Epididymitis – Symptoms and Treatment

QUESTION: My boyfriend was just diagnosed with epididymitis yesterday; however the doctor didn’t mention anything about staying away from sex, using protection from now on or whether or not I can get infected and pass it back to him. We have been having unprotected anal, oral & vaginal sex for a little over a year […]

Q&A: Can I Share A Sex Toy With My Partner?

QUESTION: I’ve read there’s a risk of STIs when sharing toys during lesbian sex. But what if neither partner has an STI—can we share toys? If both partners are in a truly monogamous relationship, and both have tested negative for all STIs, then is there still risk? If fluids have been exchanged through oral sex […]