If you’re a sports fan, and even if you’re not, chances are you’re already strongly familiar with the fact that Los Angeles Lakers’ Magic Johnson was diagnosed with the HIV virus in 1991, which led to his retirement from the National Basketball Association and a very public announcement about his status.
Recently ESPN has produced a documentary about Johnson’s now infamous press conference and the world’s response to it called The Announcement. It follows Johnson’s rise to a basketball superstar, and the downslide that followed him being diagnosed with HIV.
Because his diagnoses came in the early 90′s when little was known about the disease, there were a lot of questions surrounding his new disease, including everyone’s biggest concern: If Magic can get this, can I get it, too?
In 2012, HIV and AIDS remains a concern for many Americans, but thanks to the growing practice of safe sex, the number of Americans living with the virus has slightly decreased in the last few years, and the spread has nearly been eliminated among online daters, thanks to the fact that people who meet online wear protection during intercourse nearly 96% of the time, according to the website City Data.
If you’re dating online, the last thing you’ll want is to get into bed with someone only for them to point out that you’re looking a little funky in your southern region. Contracting an STD, whither it be HIV or Herpes, can be embarrassing for anyone.
In order to ensure that you won’t have to face making an announcement of your own in the future, you need a little STD education! Knowing the signs and symptoms of STDs is the easiest way to prevent contracting one, and is the key to treating yourself early if you do.
Discoloring
Although everyone has a different shade of skin surrounding their vagina or penis, there’s an easy way to tell if it’s a different color than it should be: Look at their lips. The skin around the head of a males penis and the skin on the outer labia of a vagina should be the same shade of their lips. If it’s extremely darker or has a tint of grey, then you might want to ask when the last time they got tested was before you get too close.
Lumps and bumps
Most men have blood vessels that can look like bumps, and many women get ingrown hairs that look suspicious if they shave their pubic hair. Those are normal, and aren’t STDs. But if they have red-toned bumps or larger lumps anywhere around their genitals, it could be Herpes or a number of other STIs and should be avoided.
Scent
Men and women have a natural scent to their genitals. Sure you won’t know exactly what their ‘regular’ scent is unless you’ve been with them before, but an off-smell is easy to detect. If their genitals have an extremely potent scent, it should be taken as a red flag.
Ask!
This is the easiest way to avoid STDs: Ask them if they have one! It may be embarrassing for a second or two, but the saying ‘it’s better safe than sorry’ is a great thing to apply to being sexually active with someone. Ask when they last time they were tested was and if they’ve ever had a history of STDs. If you don’t trust their response, then put sex on the back burner until you do!
Protecting yourself from STDs is the only way to avoid having to make the announcement that you’ve contracted something to future lovers. Keep yourself clean and safe to keep the magic in your sex life!