Breaking Through the Myths, Getting the Facts on Sexual Health

Most people have more questions about STIs than answers, and that’s a big problem. STI talk still carries a lot of stigma, and that silence often means misinformation fills the gap.

The situation in Houston is real. Houston currently has some of the fastest-growing STI rates in Texas, with vulnerable populations being hit the hardest. But understanding the facts about these infections is the first step toward protecting yourself and your partner. Let’s clear up the myths. Legacy is here with the facts and real resources.

The Birth Control Myth Is Persistent (And Dangerous)

One of the most harmful myths going around is that birth control pills protect you from STIs. They don’t. This is worth saying clearly because it affects real health decisions. Birth control methods like the pill, patch, ring, and IUD are very effective at preventing pregnancy, but they do not protect against STIs and HIV (Know the Facts, CDC). If you’re taking birth control and sexually active, you still need to think about STI prevention through other methods.

The only way to actually protect yourself from STIs when using hormonal contraception is to also use barrier protection like condoms.

You Really Can’t Catch It From a Toilet Seat

This one’s been around forever, but it’s time to put it to rest. Bacterial and viral STIs cannot survive for more than a brief moment outside the body, so the chances of catching an STI from direct contact with surfaces like a toilet seat are extremely low. (University of Miami Health System). STIs generally spread through unprotected sex and genital contact including vaginal, oral, and anal contact, not from toilet seats, because the viruses and bacteria that cause STIs usually can’t live outside the human body long (Boston University).

So if you’ve been worried about public bathrooms, you can relax. Your actual risk comes from sexual contact with someone who has an infection.

Oral Sex Isn’t the “Safe” Alternative

A lot of people think oral sex is safe from STIs. It’s not quite that simple. Because some STIs spread through contact with mucosal surfaces and secretions, affected skin, and saliva, both males and females can contract an STI by giving or receiving oral sex. Genital herpes can spread to the mouth, and oral herpes can spread to the genitals through oral sex, and HPV can spread from the genitals to the mouth, which increases the risk of developing genital or oral warts and cancers. Oral-genital contact can transmit chlamydia and gonorrhea as well. Using condoms or other barriers during oral sex can significantly reduce this risk.

Many STIs Have Zero Symptoms

The majority of STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes, have no or very mild symptoms and go undetected. You can’t tell if someone has an STI just by looking at them, and many infections don’t cause any symptoms, so the CDC stresses that the only way to know for sure is to get tested.

In an area like Houston with high STI prevalence, it’s important to get tested regardless of their number of sexual partners, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. At Legacy, we say that testing isn’t just for people who think they might have something. It’s for anyone who’s sexually active.

“Just like it’s important to see a dentist regularly to take care of your teeth, it’s important to get tested for STIs regularly to take care of your sexual health,” says Jill Jahns, Health Navigation Director.

Legacy’s History of Care 

Legacy Community Health provides care for nearly 7,000 people living with HIV, and Legacy’s impact on HIV care goes back over four decades, founded in 1982 as the Montrose Clinic during the height of the AIDS crisis. What started as a response to an urgent health crisis has become a cornerstone of sexual health care in Houston.

Legacy offers HIV services like Rapid Start, which gets newly diagnosed patients on medication immediately, and ID Care Now, which gives patients access to infectious disease specialists without delay. For prevention, Legacy provides PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and DoxyPEP to help people prevent infection before or after potential exposure.

At Legacy, we have programs in place to help cover the cost of PrEP medication and some programs even cover the cost of your doctor visit. We work with you to find an affordable option for prevention or treatment, and cost should not be a worry when you are considering if HIV prevention services are for you.

What makes Legacy’s approach stand out is the environment. Legacy Community Health has long offered compassionate, confidential, and judgment-free care, including off-site HIV testing long before it became the norm. For people who might feel hesitant about getting tested or seeking treatment, that judgment-free space is everything.

The Good News About Treatment

Jahns says that one of the most common concerns people have is thinking that if they contract an STI, their life is over.

“This is certainly not the case,” she says.

Not every STI is permanent. Syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis can be cured with antibiotics, and hepatitis C can be cured with antivirals. For STIs that don’t have cures yet, like HIV, herpes, and HPV, treatments and prevention tools exist that make living with these infections much more manageable.

All STIs, even HIV, are treatable, and most are curable, and the sooner you get tested, the sooner you can take action to protect your health and the health of your sexual partner.

Talk to Your Partner, Really

It’s important to talk to your partner about when you were last tested and suggest getting tested together, and if you have an STI, tell your partner, because open communication with your partner is so important to staying healthy and stopping the spread of STIs. These conversations matter for your health and for the health of the people you’re close to.

“Talking about getting tested can feel uncomfortable, but testing is a routine part of sexual health,” Jahns says. “When discussing testing with your partner or potential partner, find a place where you both feel comfortable and have privacy. Approach testing as a team and as a way for you both to take care of the other person.”

Many people may not realize they know someone with HIV, but chances are they do, which is why regular testing and open conversations matter, especially for women who may not always know their partner’s status.

What to Expect at Legacy

STI tests are quick, simple, and usually painless, and not all medical checkups include STI testing, so unless you ask to be tested, you can’t assume you have been. It’s worth having that conversation with your health care provider about which tests are right for you.

At Legacy, we have a team of navigators trained to conduct testing and help you access services based on the result. Whether you need treatment or prevention resources, the person who conducts your test will link you to care and be with you every step of the way.

For our HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis C testing, results are available in just 20 minutes and only require a drop of blood. Testing for other STIs may require a blood draw, urine test, or swab, and results are typically ready within a week.

Legacy Community Health offers walk-in testing for HIV and other STIs at multiple locations across Houston and Beaumont, with many locations offering evening and Saturday hours to accommodate all schedules, and for those unable to visit a clinic, Legacy also offers At-Home HIV Test Kits by request.

The bottom line is this. STIs are common, but they’re also preventable and treatable. Getting the real facts, getting tested regularly, and having honest conversations with your partners are the foundations of staying healthy.

For more information on testing and prevention resources, visit Legacy Community Health’s services page.

Sources: Legacy Community Health: Houston’s Response to Rising STIs University of Miami Health: 10 Myths and Truths About STIs CDC: Know the Facts About STIs Boston University: Five Common Sexual Health Myths Debunked Medical News Today: 9 Sexual Health Myths