We always think everything bad will happen to other people. We watch our teammates tear ACLs, our friends get Good Sammed and our peers flunk tests, but we swear it could never happen to us.
This attitude extends to our sexual proclivities. As young people, we take risks that are anything but calculated. We "live in the moment," sometimes doing things that could be dangerous not only to others but also to ourselves.
As such, we do things like having unprotected sex without too much worry besides a "Gee, I sure hope I didn't get that girl pregnant last night!"
"The most prevalent thought during sexual activity is, if you're heterosexual, pregnancy," Kari Jo Grant, Dick's House's Health Education Programs coordinator, said. "We'd like to expand that concern to include diseases."
Grant seems correct in her understanding of students' sexual concerns. A female '12, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the subject, said she is generally "not worried" about STDs pregnancy is the "much bigger concern."
"I am absolutely terrified of getting pregnant and that's the primary reason that I use condoms," she said. "However, after hearing a lot of rumors about how many people at Dartmouth have STDs, I definitely have become more diligent about condom use."
Most students interviewed by The Mirror acknowledged that STDs are a real concern, but were hesitant to ask their sexual partners about STD track records before engaging in intercourse. "It doesn't occur to me in the moment, even though it should," the female '12 said. "Honestly it would be incredibly difficult to bring up."
A '13 male, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the subject, said that he seldom asks partners if they have an STD before hooking up with them, but is still concerned about their prevalence. As a result, he gets tested regularly.
"I've had friends who've caught the clap, and I don't want that," he said.
The Center for Disease Control recommends that sexually active individuals get tested for STDs at least once a year. Testing is primarily focused on identifying cases of chlamydia, the most prevalent STD in the United States, with over a million reported cases in 2009, according to the CDC's most recent report. Under-reporting could account for millions more cases, as chlamydia the "silent" STD usually occurs without symptoms, the report also said.
Another female '12 said she doesn't ask partners about whether they have an STD but instead "insists on condoms if it's a random hook-up."
"[STDs] are everywhere and you have no way of knowing whether or not people are infected, especially since a lot of the time they might not even know themselves," she said.
She also said that sexual partners asking about her STD history would not be "weird, but actually nice," as it shows concern and responsibility. She said she knows other students who have had STDs and said it is "scary how prevalent they are and what they can do to you if they go untreated for a long time."
Grant stressed the "non-invasive nature" of STD tests, which consist of urinalysis for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis testing, and an oral swab for HIV. Those patients who are experiencing symptoms, however, may be asked to do a pelvic exam. Testing for syphilis is not included in the typical STD testing regime but can be done on request or may be processed due to your sexual experiences, which may have exposed you to potential risk factors, Grant said.
Another female '12 who wished to remain anonymous said that if someone is mature enough to have sex, he or she should be mature enough to have conversations about serious subjects like STDs and pregnancy.
Grant noted that while the rate of condom usage during vaginal sex is high, surveys have suggested that Dartmouth students use condoms less frequently with oral or anal intercourse.
While Pat Flynn '13 said he is careful to practice safe sex, always asking potential partners, "Do I have anything to worry about?" with regards to STDs, he said that he has never used a condom or dental dam for oral sex nor has he heard of anyone using them. He also commented that his past sexual partners have asked him to wear a condom "surprisingly very rarely." That said, Flynn said he makes sure to get tested "pretty quickly" after a random hook-up.
Grant strongly encourages students to use protection, regardless of the form of sexual activity. That said, none of the students interviewed said they had used condoms in oral sexual encounters.
A '13 male, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the language surrounding STDs can differ between the gay and straight communities.
"People will ask, Are you clean?' The word STD' is conspicuously negative in the gay community," he said. "Ironically, the connotation relegates it to the curse word list.'"
While he said he always uses a condom during random hook-ups, he said that he has had unprotected sex with men who he was "involved with on more than one occasion." He said he has never used a condom for oral sex but has heard of people doing so.
He said that HIV/AIDS presents "a serious issue and consideration" within the gay community but is "somewhat taboo" to talk about.
"I know lots of guys who are very nervous about asking someone questions pertaining to their health status or even requesting documentation as proof," he said, adding that a past hook-up had shown him his HIV test results to prove that he was indeed "clean."
"The spontaneity of the stereotypical gay hook-up doesn't leave much room for health inquiries, nor is the atmosphere conducive for that type of conversation," he said. "But hey, I'd rather be a buzzkill than have a guy give me something that can kill me."
