Misconceptions about STIs - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 35) | Mental Floss

Hi, I'm Ellie, this is Mental Floss on YouTube

Today I'm going to talk about some misconceptions about sexually transmitted infections

And yes, that means I am going to be talking about sex

If you don't want to hear me talk about sex, A, I get it, and B, now would be the time to click away

Misconception number one, HIV and AIDS are the same thing. So today seems like a good day to learn some big words

HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Basically, the virus in HIV is what causes the syndrome in AIDS. Someone who is HIV positive does not necessarily have AIDS

but someone with untreated or undiagnosed HIV will likely develop AIDS. Speaking of HIV, misconception number two, you can't get HIV from oral sex

Vaginal and rectal transmissions of HIV are much more common, but oral transmission is possible as well

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can reduce the risk by using a condom

There are also things that may increase the risk, like bleeding gums, genital sores, and the presence of other STIs

And that brings me to misconception number three. You can only get an STI from intercourse

So, now you know this one thanks to the previous misconception. Some STIs, like HPV and CRABS, can even be transmitted from contact, and in addition to HIV, gonorrhea and chlamydia can be transmitted via oral sex

Misconception number four. Genital warts and genital herpes are the same. They sound very similar, even their acronyms are similar. There's HPV and HSV, but they're not the same thing

Human papillomavirus or HPV can cause genital warts. Herpes or HSV does not cause warts

Its symptoms are more blister and scab-like. See? We're having fun. Misconception number five, you can only spread herpes during an outbreak

If you have herpes, you can spread it anytime. The best way to lower the risk of spreading it is through immunosuppressant therapy

So, be safe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of people who have herpes don't even know they have it

Misconception number six, STI symptoms show up right away. 50 of sexually active people get an STI before the age of 25 and the majority of those people don know they have one because symptoms don show up right away Some people do experience symptoms but attribute them to something else The only way to know if you have an STI is

by going to the doctor and getting a test done. Misconception number seven, HIV is

the only deadly STI. There are actually a handful of STIs that come with a higher

risk of death. For instance, HPV has been linked with many types of cancer

including cervical, vaginal, and oropharyngeal which is the back of the throat. People tend to believe that this is only a problem in women but according

According to the CDC, about 63% of cases of penile cancer are linked to HPV

Researchers are currently investigating a link between the STI trichomoniasis, or TRIC, and prostate cancer

In 2014, it was discovered that the parasite that causes TRIC may help prostate cancer

cells grow more quickly. Misconception number eight, there's an HPV test for men

There isn't an FDA-approved test, and doctors don't do any routine testing for HPV in men

This isn't an episode for lectures, but I just want to note that according to the CDC

80% of sexually active Americans have been exposed to HPV. And if a guy tells you it's been tested for STIs

just know that that does not include an HPV test. Okay, speech over. Thank you

Misconception number nine, having sex in water prevents STIs. You can definitely get an STI in water or a hot tub

Many people believe that the warmth of a hot tub will somehow kill germs, but warm water is actually the perfect place

for an STI to thrive. Water doesn't protect against pregnancy either, by the way

Chlorine is not a birth control method. Misconception number 10, it's possible to get an STI from a toilet seat

This is so statistically improbable that it's considered a myth by experts

Any STI-causing microbe that comes into contact with a toilet seat will die almost instantly

so you really don't need to worry about it. According to the president of the American Society for Microbiology

to my knowledge, no one has ever required an STD on the toilet seat, unless they were having sex on the toilet seat

which sounds very romantic. Thank you for watching Misconceptions on Mental Floss on YouTube

If you have a topic for an upcoming Misconceptions episode that you would like to see, please let us know in the comments

It'll be great. All right, I'll see you next week. Bye