|
MizSuz -> RE: With the rampant spread of disease .... (2/14/2005 7:52:36 AM)
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: GrandpaLash
Truly promiscuous people would probably consider me near a virgin LOL
Man, you are preachin' to the choir. It's not uncommon for me to go for a year or more at a time without benefit of intercourse or fellatio. Yet, by my mother's standards (may she finally rest NOW after a lifetime of judgement), more than one partner in a lifetime could be considered promiscuous, unless you are a remarried widow/er. By her definitions you and I are both quite the sluts. I think that whenever we find ourselves employing the term 'truly' it's a good idea to realize we're probably talkin' subjectives.
quote:
ORIGINAL: GrandpaLash
That said, epidemiologists believe that anything up to 70% of the Western population carries the herpes virus. I have been married to one woman, and lived with another for 3 years, both of whom are diagnosed as herpes sufferers, so my chances of being in the 30% are fairly remote, yet like most of the 70% I have never had an outbreak. I assume that things like genital warts are also pretty much pandemic with the same caveat, that most people never show symptoms. Clamydia I consider more serious than either (yes, I do recognise that in rare cases both herpes and genital warts can be very serious, but in general they are only a temporary nuisance), and along with AIDS and Hep C I get tested regularly for that as well, so far clean on all three. But I wouldn't expect not to be. I am choosy in my sexual partners.
Indeed it is discouraging to see statistics of 'most people' when referencing STDs. I too have stories of "diagnosed with herpes, surgery for an unrelated but localized issue, no outbreak or positive test for herpes post surgery for 20+ years" and the like.
I am not one to jump on mindless mantras and I suspect that your original post had more to do with the notion that to some degree the 'safe sex' protocols that have become the standard of good sense have become one of those mindless mantras (I feel similarly about the use of SSC, but refuse to hijack this thread about that very over worked topic). If that was part of your point then we are in agreement.
But in order to jump out of the mindless mantra and into the realm of personally responsible choice made from rational and informed thought, one must be informed and possess the ability and willingness to engage in thought and not simply rhetorical regurgitation. Herein lay the rub, I think.
We learn more every day about medicine and who is to say that what we don't know today won't kill us tomorrow? I'll give you an example. 20+ years ago there was a thing called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) that often was a precursor for cancer of the female reproductive tract. It was sort of this broad term used to describe a degenerative (and quite painful) condition of the female reproductive tract. It was believed that it was caused by "sexual promiscuity" but many cases were occuring in women with no prior history of known STD. Jump forward about 10 years and we now know there is a thing called "Clamydia" and it's now considered the cause of PID. Jump another 10 years and we have HPV, which is now the cause of some kinds of PID.
HPV is one of those nasty viruses that a majority of the populations have and don't know they have it. Men are great carriers because they don't get tests (like pap smears) that look for signs of it. Some forms of it in women, however, over extended periods of times could lead to cancer. So a man that doesn't know he has it, over a long period of time with one woman, could find himself going through a partner's health crisis due unknowingly to his own infection of her. Fortunately women who get regular paps and the like should be able to catch things like this before they become too life threatening. But it's a virus, if it's present you may reinfect each other with it. If I remember correctly (and I may not) it's also something that gets worse with exposure (even if it's to the same partner).
What do you suppose we will know about STDs in 20 years? This begs the question "How safe is safe?" and, I think, naturally follows with "How do you want to live your life?" Some people seem to need fear in their life, others seem to need to instill fear. I leave them for each other as there seems to be some mutual need they fill.
As for me, I will continue to try to remain informed; I will continue to make my own choices about my safe sex practices for myself and maintain my commitment to never put someone else at risk without their knowledge and consent (which essentially means honesty and full disclosure in sexual relationships); I'll also continue to fly the not so friendly skies, drive my own truck into NYC when I see fit, walk down the road at night by myself as suits me, run with sharp objects in my hand if choose, eat sushi, and rock climb, hike, camp and snowboard when I've the opportunity.
I hope to one day jump out of a perfectly good airplane. To see the earth from suborbital space would be a dream come true.
Informed choice coupled with personal responsibility is the thing, don't you agree?
|
|
|
|
