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Getting Tested for HIV
Blood tests to detect HIV infection are now available from the vast majority of doctors, health clinics, family planning clinics, and Planned Parenthood centers, as well as special HIV counseling centers. While tests are readily available, getting tested can be stressful. Find someone whom you trust to talk to while you're waiting for your result.
How the tests work: A blood sample is taken and the test detects antibodies to HIV, which usually develop within six weeks to six months of exposure. If you're had unprotected sex during the six - month period before you get tested, you could still be infected with HIV and have a negative test result. The test is highly accurate. It is best to get your test through your doctor, nurse or clinic. You can also be tested anonymously; you are given a number code which will allow you to get your results after a specified period of time. To find a testing center near you, call Planned Parenthood at 1-800-230-PLAN or the CDC National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS.
How to Talk to Your Partner About Safer Sex
Whether you choose to have sex or not, it is important to be able to talk about sex. It can be uncomfortable to have direct conversations about sex, but it does get easier if you are confident about your facts. Good communication is important, with friends, health care providers, parents/family, and your boyfriend or girlfriend.
If a couple is going to have sex, it's important for them to talk things over first. They need to discuss topics like STD protection and contraception and ask each other about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Since others can't always be counted on to be honest about STDs - especially because they may not even know they have one - using condoms for protection - always - is very important.
Of course, if you have an STD, it's good to be honest. Not only will it help you take the right precautions to protect your partner's health - by either abstaining from intercourse until an outbreak is over or practicing safer sex - but it shows your partner that you care for and respect him or her, and that you are concerned about his or her health. Chances are, your partner will appreciate your truthfulness, and such honesty may even strengthen the emotional bond between you.
Here are some tips professionals offer about how to have that talk. Choose a time and place that's relaxed and comfortable before you get intimate (don't do it with your clothes off!) and arm yourself with facts. You might start by telling your partner that you really care for him or her and that's why you want to discuss something important. If part of what you want to tell your partner is about an STD you have, you might say that last year, you found out you carry HPV or that you just learned that you have chlamydia and you want him or her to get checked out. If you have genital herpes, you might explain that you sometimes get sores in the genital area that are just like the cold sores some people get around their mouths, then explain that they're both caused by members of the same virus family. Keep it simple and just give the facts - about symptoms, treatment, how the disease is spread, and how you can protect each other. Try not to get emotional about it; think of this as simply sharing vital information.
Then give your partner some time and space to digest the news - after all, it probably took you a while when you first heard - and offer to provide more information or an STD hotline number. With time, most people take the news pretty well and don't let it stand in the way of the relationship. (And if not, it's better to find out before the relationship goes too far.) With everything that's been learned in recent years about STDs and their transmission, it's entirely possible for people with an STD to have a satisfying sex life without spreading infection to their partners.
Condom Cues
Reality check: Most contraceptives don't guard against STDs; only condoms do - the male or female variety. For STD protection, a new one is needed each and every time you have intercourse, even when using another form of birth control.
Decisions, decisions: Condoms come in lots of colors and textures these days but only two things matter: They should be made of plastic or latex (which is way more reliable than animal tissue condoms) - and they should fit snugly. (Yes, they do come in different lengths, widths, and thicknesses.)
Inspection: Condom packages show an expiration date. If a condom is past the date, or looks dry, brittle, stiff, or sticky, it shouldn't be used. Keeping a few spares on hand is a good idea in case one rips while being put on.
Handling: Condoms should be stored in a cool, dry place to prevent breakage or leakage. To open, the package should be torn gently on the side (not with teeth or scissors, which could tear the condom itself) and pulled out slowly.
Choosing the right lubricant: Using a pre-lubricated kind, or applying a water-based lubricant - such as K-Y jelly or Astroglide - inside and outside the condom can help prevent rips. Oil - based lubricants (like Vaseline or other petroleum jellies, body lotions, mineral or vegetable oils) should not be used because they can cause very rapid deterioration of latex.
Putting a condom on correctly: The condom should be put on before intercourse begins. The rolled condom should be placed over the head of the penis after it is hard and erect, leaving a half - inch of space at the tip to collect semen. (Pinching the air out of the tip with thumb and forefinger can help to prevent breakage). Next the condom should be unrolled over the entire length of the penis down to the base, smoothing out any air bubbles. The condom should fit snugly and not look like it will slide off during intercourse.
Removing a condom: Immediately after ejaculation, the penis should be withdrawn slowly before it softens. The base of the condom should be held against the penis to avoid spilling the semen as it's withdrawn. The condom should be wrapped in tissue and thrown away.
Protection during oral sex: For oral sex on a woman, a dental dam, a square of latex cut from a condom, or plastic wrap can be used. For oral sex on a man, a condom should be used. The idea is to prevent contact with secretions from the vagina or penis. These barriers must be put in place before oral sex begins.
Now you know the facts you need to protect your sexual health. If you're sexually active, now is the time to take the next step: putting this information into practice. By taking the precautions outlined here, you'll be able to have a satisfying sex life - and a safe one. It's entirely in your hands. So whatever you decide to do inside or outside the bedroom, make sexual choices that you can enjoy and feel good about - today, tomorrow, and the next day. You won't regret it, we promise.
Library
Guide Books on Unplanned Pregnancy, STDs and HIV/AIDS
The Birth Control Book: A Complete Guide to Your Contraceptive Options.
Pasquale, Samuel A., MD, and Jennifer Cadoff.
New York: Ballantine Books, 1996.
Finding Our Way: The Teen Girls' Survival Guide.
Allison Abner and Linda Villarosa.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.
Risky Times: How to Be AIDS - Smart and Stay Healthy: A Guide for Teenagers.
Jeanne Blake. New York: Workman Publishing Company, 1990.
Safe Encounters: How Women Can Say Yes to Pleasure and No to Unsafe Sex.
Whipple, Beverly, PhD, RN, and Gina Ogden, PhD.
New York: McGraw - Hill Book Company, 1989.
For older readers.
Sexuality & Reproduction. Teenage Health Care: The First Comprehensive Family Guide for the Preteen to Young Adult Years.
Gail B. Slap and Martha M. Jabloe.
New York: Pocket Books, 1994, pgs 185 - 287.
The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality.
Michael J. Basso. Minneapolis, MN: Fairview Press, 1991.
Understanding Your Body.
Felicia Stewart, MD, Felicia Guest, Gary Stewart, MD, and Robert Hatcher, MD.
New York: Bantam Books, 1987.
If you're interested in books about sexual abstinence or waiting to have sex until you're married, you might want to read:
It's Okay to Say No: Choosing Sexual Abstinence.
Ayer, Eleanor H.
New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 1997.
Everything You Need to Know about Sexual Abstinence.
More, Barbara A.
New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 1996.
Had intercourse without birth control in the past three days?
Call a doctor or clinic to ask about your emergency contraception options, or call the Emergency Contraception Hotline at 1-888-NOT2LATE to find a clinic near you. See the Contraception 911 Section.
Afraid you might be pregnant?
See your clinician for a pregnancy test as soon as you can, or get a pregnancy test at the drugstore. If you use a home test and it is negative, take another one again in a week. If it's positive, definitely see your doctor or clinic right away. An exam to confirm pregnancy early can help avoid possible problems later on. To find a doctor or clinic near you where you can get confidential testing and information, call the Planned Parenthood Hotline at 1-800-230-PLAN. See the Avoiding Unintended Pregnancy section.
Think you may have a sexually transmitted disease?
Arrange a medical visit immediately, or call the Planned Parenthood Hotline at 1-800-230-PLAN for a referral to a confidential, low-cost clinic. Other hotlines for more information: the National STD Hotline, 1-800-227-8922; or the National Herpes Hotline, 1-919-361-8488. See the Sexually Transmitted Diseases section.
Worried that you may be HIV-positive, or that you may have been exposed to the virus?
Get a confidential test through your doctor or clinic. If you need help finding a place to be tested, or you have questions, call the CDC's National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS, or the National Teenage AIDS Hotline at 1-800-440-TEEN. See the Getting Tested for HIV section.
Hotlines
- Planned Parenthood National Hotline: 1 800 230 PLAN
This hotline will automatically connect you to the Planned Parenthood Provider nearest you. Planned Parenthood is a source for contraception, testing for sexually transmitted infections including HIV, pre-natal and post-natal care, pregnancy options counseling, and adoption referrals.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National STD Hotline: 1 800 227 8922
This hotline will answer general questions about STDs, their symptoms, transmission, treatment and testing, and can also provide referrals to clinics and other hotlines.
- CDC National HIV & AIDS Hotline: 1 800 342 AIDS
This hotline will provide information about HIV/AIDS, answer questions about testing and prevention, and will provide referrals to callers. They will also send out free literature on HIV and AIDS.
- National Abortion Federation Hotline 1 800 772 9100
Sponsored by the National Abortion Federation, this hotline provides referrals to clinics that perform abortions. They will also answer questions about the procedure and about the laws surrounding the procedure.
- National Herpes Hotline: 1 919 361 8488
Sponsored by the American Social Health Association, this hotline provides information and counseling to people with herpes and those who are close to them. It also provides free publications and referrals to local support groups.
- National Teenage AIDS Hotline: 1 800 440 TEEN
Fridays and Saturdays, 6 pm to midnight, EST.
Sponsored by the American Red Cross, this hotline uses a staff of peer educators to provide information about HIV/AIDS and other STDs and to refer callers to other numbers.
- Emergency Contraception Hotline: 1 888 NOT2LATE
Run by the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, this hotline provides pre-recorded information about emergency contraception, and gives the names and phone numbers of places where you can get emergency contraception.
- National Runaway Switchboard: 1 800 621 4000
A 24-hour confidential nationwide hotline providing crisis intervention and referrals on a range of issues.
- National Council for Adoption: 202 328 1200
You can call them collect for information about adoption options.
This brochure was produced by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation as a project of the Foundation and MTV.
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Publication Number: 1311
Publish Date: 1997-09-15
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