Yes — you can get hepatitis C again after a cure. Direct-acting antiviral pills clear the virus in more than 95% of people WHO, but they don't leave behind immunity. Hepatitis C antibodies stay positi
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is unusually hardy outside the body. On dry surfaces — a shared razor, a toothbrush, a countertop with dried blood — it can stay infectious for days, even after the blood looks
Gay and bisexual men should get vaccinated against both hepatitis A and hepatitis B, ideally before any exposure. The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all adults aged 19–59 and for older adults
PrEP doesn't protect you the moment you swallow the first pill. Daily oral PrEP reaches its maximum protection in about 7 days for receptive anal sex, and about 21 days for receptive vaginal sex and i
For sexually active gay and bisexual men, the CDC recommends STI testing at least once a year, and every 3 to 6 months if you have multiple or anonymous partners, use recreational drugs during sex, or
To prevent mpox, avoid close skin-to-skin contact with anyone who has a rash, get the two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine if you're at increased risk, and limit anonymous or multiple partners during outbreaks. C
There's no FDA-approved HPV test for men. HPV tests aren't recommended to screen men, and no swab or blood test detects the virus in a man without symptoms. Diagnosis happens by looking — a clinician
Yes, you can start and stop PrEP around periods when your risk goes up — like a vacation, a new relationship, or a stretch of casual dating — as long as you time it right and check in with a clinician
Mpox isn't classified as a traditional STD, but during the outbreak that began in 2022 it has spread mainly through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. The monkeypox virus passes through direct
LGV treatment is a long course of antibiotics: doxycycline taken by mouth twice a day for three weeks CDC STI Guidelines. That extended length is what sets it apart from the short course used for ordi
Yes — Medicaid covers STD testing. Federal Medicaid rules treat STI screening and diagnosis as preventive medical care, so the lab work for chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, and trichomo
In most US states, minors can get tested for STIs without a parent's permission — every state allows some form of confidential testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections for adolescents
Most people with mpox recover on their own with supportive care — pain control, fluids, rest, and good lesion hygiene — over a few weeks. The antiviral tecovirimat (TPOXX) is reserved for severe disea
The JYNNEOS vaccine is a two-dose mpox vaccine recommended for people at increased risk of exposure, with the second dose given 28 days after the first CDC vaccines. It can also be used after a known
No — non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) isn't always from sex. Most cases trace to a sexually transmitted organism, but NGU is a syndrome, not a single infection: in roughly half of cases no organism is
An NGU test confirms nongonococcal urethritis — inflammation of the urethra that isn't caused by gonorrhea. Diagnosis takes two steps most pages skip past: first proving urethritis is present (white b
If you're pregnant and allergic to penicillin and you test positive for syphilis, the answer is reassuring: you'll most likely be desensitized to penicillin under medical supervision and then treated,
A penile rash that itches, burns, or blisters is most often one of three things: a yeast infection (Candida overgrowth on the glans), genital herpes (an HSV viral infection), or balanitis (general inf
To avoid STDs in a new relationship, use condoms every time until you've both been tested, get tested together and share the results, and only stop barriers once you know each other's status. Add tool
Azithromycin is an antibiotic still used for a handful of bacterial STIs, but it is no longer the go-to drug it once was. Current CDC guidance now favors doxycycline for chlamydia and reserves the sin
Dating again after 50 means keeping safer-sex basics in play even though pregnancy is no longer a worry. Menopause thins and dries vaginal tissue, which makes small tears more likely during sex and ca
Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic used to treat several bacterial sexually transmitted infections, most commonly chlamydia. It's taken as a short course of oral pills, works by stopping bacteri
To clean sex toys and lower STD risk, wash nonporous toys (silicone, glass, stainless steel) with warm water and mild soap after every use, dry them fully, and store them separately. Cover any shared
Safer sex while trying to conceive comes down to one honest conversation before you stop using condoms: get tested together, share your real results, and decide together what protection to use until y