Dear Sexcellent
I had sex with a couple of different people during o week, and now I’ve got some red, itchy bumps around my genitals. Is this an STD???
Please help,
Itchy and anxious
Dear Itchy and anxious,
First off, stay calm! In my experience, at least 90 percent of those pesky red lumps around your lady garden or man forest are ingrown hairs. You all know the panic I’m talking about; those panic-inducing ingrown hairs of death that always appear at precisely the wrong times.
But, and I cannot stress this enough: get your cute lil’ tush to family planning or student health asap. Either way, the nurses are lovely, non-judgemental, super helpful, and will stock you up with enough condoms - if you have the type of sex that requires condoms - that you could use to build a small raft in the event of a judgement day flood (yay for alternative uses!)
If it does turn out to be some sort of STI (medical professionals have moved towards using the term Sexually Transmitted Infections, rather than the other Sexually Transmitted Diseases), then fear not! Most sexually active adults will experience some sort of STI at some point in their lives, and these days, most are easily treatable. The stigma surrounding STIs is a factor that contributes to the shame and silence around discussion of them, which means people don’t get the help and reassurance they need. We need to make an effort to open up the conversation. STIs don’t make you dirty, unclean, or broken; and the more we talk about it, the more everyone will be able to be educated and informed!
While herpes, and some other STIs and conditions that can make your genitals a little funky for a while aren’t completely protected against by wearing condoms, they lower the risk of transmission, and it is always better to wear a condom, or a dental dam, just to avoid passing on as much as you possibly can! (And yes, this is my answer to a lot of the issues that plague daily life. Sleeping with a new partner? Wear a condom! Giving someone a blowjob in the 10 Bar bathrooms? Wear a condom! 4 a.m. and your assignment is due tomorrow at 9? Wear a condom!)
But seriously, there are so many things that red, itchy bumps on genitals could be. There are all types of uber pleasant rashes, skin conditions, and sexually transmitted infections that could be plaguing you, but there’s no way to be sure until you go to a doctor. They’ve seen it all (and worse) before, so there’s no need to be ashamed to pop in.
Love,
S