It's a good strategy?

[rossodisera]

Hi I just like to share some opinion about the correct strategy to keep in order to minimize the STD risks. Safe sex, as I have been able to understand from some posts in this forum, means only protected vaginal and protected anal. As for the other STDs I think that no test should be required unless one develops some symptoms. When I start a relationship I start always performing safe sex(as explained before) and then if the thing become serious I ask the girl to get tested for hiv, to be sure she is hiv free. I never been with a CSW until know but if it happens this kind of behaviour is still the best one for the health of both me and my partners? Is it enough?

I always thought that hiv is the main problem since of course leads to death (or better may nowdays) but I never really cared very much the other STDs. Of course in the case of symptoms I would go to my physician right away but in absence of symptoms is it really necessary to check every time I meet a girl?

Another think I would like to ask is it likely that HPV may cause cancer in the woman?What other disease can be damaging for womens? I don't know if I have made my point clear I just don't want to cause damage to my partners. I 'd really appreaciate your thoughts about it.

[jockojohnson]

if i were you my strategy would be to have protected sex if you are not in a long term monogamous relationship.if you lookat the forums on this site there are many people who have had contact with women men gay men she men.they are looking for answers to their symptoms and come up empty handed.is it anxiety for the hundreds of people who have unanswerd questions.you might want to be more cautious with your life than someone else would be.its your life.after reading the posts it seems apparent that testing isnt perfect and treatments dont always work .you dont just go to the corner store to pick up a vitamin and magically your all better.protect youself because drs are expensive so are treatments and testing.drs tell you that they dont even test for ebv because it the body usually controls it but sometimes it dosent.look at the ebv forum to see the issues people are dealing with.i have ebv and it sucks.do you really want to get any one of these things .think about what level of suffering you would like to have .ebv has changed alot in my life .do yourself a favor make the right choice.

[rossodisera]

I forgot to write it but to me it was implied that both me and the girl got tested. Yesterday after I sent this post I've found this post of Dr. Handsfield in which he states

Since you're just beginning your sexual "career", I would give this advice:  do not plan on STD testing every time you have a new partner, unless a) you develop symptoms of STD or b) the risk is especially high, e.g. with a partner known to be infected with a particular STD.  Instead of worrying about individual encounters, I would suggest you just plan on periodic testing as long as you are sexually active in a non-monogamous fashion, e.g. once a year or so.

So, as you said, it appears to me that the best thing to do is to get tested once a year and forget about the single encounters...

2Another think I would like to ask is what desease I should check?In an italian forum a doctor suggested me to get tested for syphilis, hiv, hbv in case the girl was not vaccinated, and of course in absence of symptoms. What's your suggestion?

3 To put you in perspective, let's suppose I have a girlfriend and suppose that I have some intercourses outside the relationship, it's safe enough that only me would get tested for STDs (of course I will always use condoms in penetrative sex) for the health of my hypothetical girlfriend?

4 Apart from the hiv with this other STDs what are the main risks? Only think I know is that if one (male or female) develops some symptoms and doesn't treat them you can became infertile, but of course this is a stupid thing because I would go to the physician right away. But what about HPV? I've heard that it can cause cancer in the women and to be honest it seems stupid to me because almost everyone get infected with it. As you can understand I am trying to get as much information as I can to protect my partners.

[Midnight_Sun]

"I ask the girl to get tested for hiv, to be sure she is hiv free." - You should also be getting tested as well. This should not be a "one way street".  

The best course of action is condom protected sex outside of mutually monogamous relationships. And, then testing outside of window periods for both partners to ensure no presence of STDs.

Your wait until symptoms appear strategy is faulty. Many STDs can be asymptomatic in men. You should test either yearly, or prior to new relationships.