STI Numbers Continue to Increase — How to Protect Yourself

Sexually transmitted infections are harmful diseases that spread through sexual or intimate contact. Without treatment, STIs can affect various aspects of your health, including fertility, and can have long-lasting effects.

Dr. Darin L. Weyhrich is passionate about preventing STIs and is concerned about your body and sexual health. He’s an experienced OB/GYN in Boise, Idaho, who provides our patients with various birth control methods and tips to prevent complications from STIs.

The facts on STIs

Sexually transmitted infections aren’t decreasing their prevalence in the world — in fact, they seem to be going up. Not all STIs are curable, although you may be able to manage them with daily medications.

Knowing as much as you can about STIs when you're sexually active is imperative to protect yourself. According to the World Health Organization, the following information is accurate about STIs worldwide:

• Every day, more than one million STIs occur worldwide
• Most STIs don't produce symptoms
• In 2020, people aged 15 to 49 acquired 374 million new STIs
• Over 500 million people may have genital herpes, a non-curable STI
• HPV is responsible for more than 300,000 cervical cancer deaths yearly
• Syphilis affected more than 1.1 million women in 2022
• STIs increase the risk of HIV and AIDs
• STIs increase the risk of infertility and adverse birth outcomes

The tricky aspect of STIs is that many don’t produce symptoms immediately, which worsens the infection without treatment. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and HPV are common STIs that may not yield symptoms immediately.

You can get an STI through vaginal, oral, or anal sex, as well as skin-to-skin contact in some cases. Unfortunately, these diseases spread very quickly from partner to partner, making it hard to control.

Tips to protect yourself

The great news is that you can successfully protect yourself against STIs when you’re sexually active. The better you inform yourself about STIs and how they spread, the more likely you'll avoid them. Dr. Weyhrich offers the following tips for STI prevention:

Test yourself regularly

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to test yourself regularly for STIs. You can make an appointment anytime to get yourself tested, especially if you had unprotected sex or have worrisome symptoms.

Limit sexual partners

The more sexual partners you have, the more likely it is that you’ll get an STI. One way to avoid STIs is to have sex with a monogamous partner and be truthful with each other about your health.

Use barrier methods of birth control

Condoms are one of the most successful barrier methods of birth control that protect you and your partner from STIs. However, using them correctly is essential to avoid pregnancy and infections.

Get the appropriate vaccines

HPV vaccines and hepatitis B vaccines are available to help prevent these infections. However, just because you have the vaccine doesn’t mean you can’t get another strain of the disease or other STIs. Use protection every time.

Talk to your sexual partners

Before engaging in sexual activities, speak to your partner about protection and the possibility of STIs. It may not always be a comfortable conversation. Still, it could save you from infertility and other complications related to STIs.

Abstinence is the only way to protect yourself 100% against STIs – but that’s not practical for everyone. If abstinence isn’t an option in your life, talk to Dr. Weyhrich about your sexual health and how to avoid dangerous infections.

Call our office today in Boise, Idaho, to schedule an appointment with Dr. Weyhrich for birth control or STI treatment. You may also request a consultation using our convenient online booking tool.