How do you assess std risk?

[Trojan Defense]

How do you assess std risk? (And for those of you who would say use common sense, how about going into exactly what that means for those of us that don't have any.) I've asked a number of people, and some of the answers I have gotten thus far have been:

"You look at how they are dress, and act."

"You take into consideration where did you find them at [bar, online, through a friend, etc.]"

"You just know."

"You ask them how many partners they have been with. If they've been more than what I can count on my hands, and feet, then that's too many."

"If she smells down there, there's probably something wrong with it."

[VegasLee]

It appears you have been receiving answers from many people that have no common sense.

[BiloxiCouple]

Lab work. Everything else = FAIL.

[NCfuncouple98]

Originally Posted by BiloxiCouple

Lab work. Everything else = FAIL.

This!

You can never tell, ever. They could have been with 1,000 people, or 1. It only takes the 1 time.....

Doesn't matter what they say or how they look, dress or act. If it smells? Yeah, I'd be running!

Mrs NC

[slevin]

Those answers do not equate to assessing STD risk. They are trying to use a crystal ball to determine if the partners they choose will have an STD.

Assessing STD risk to me is understanding how the various STDs are transmitted, the risk associated with each, the implications of catching it and how widespread they are. Then you choose whether you want to be sexually active or not. It's knowing the risk and consciously accepting the risk; not trying to use a crystal ball.

[Coupleerotic22]

Start by asking some simple questions.

Q 1. Are they a member of a high risk group? Intravenous drug user, homosexual, in non-monogamous relationship?

Answer: YES!!

No need to ask any further questions except , do you have STD blood work results?

If the answer is no, but.....(insert whatever you like here), then you know the risk is higher. If the answer is yes, (and you can see them and they are negative) then you know the risk is lower. Regardless there are still risk.

[highlander]

One giant figure to get here:
most heterosexual women that get HIV get it from a man for whom the primary risk factor was IV drug use(not promiscuity or homosexuality)--many of whom were casual IV drug users and didn't know they were infected when they passed HIV on.

I'd put ANY use of cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine as a major risk factor. Basically we are talking 5-10% of the sexually active population being associated with over 50% of the new HIV infections.

Oral tests for a variety of drugs are available for $1.85 or so in quantity. They aren't accurate except for a few days-but give instant results. Hair tests can detect use for much longer period-but can run $55-75 and require a sample be sent to a lab.

Still, I think is perfectly reasonable for someone to make a condition of a relationship or encounter regularly taking such tests.

[highlander]

Beyond asking for STD tests, consider how old of tests you will accept-and what tests you require. Porn actors get tested for a bunch of stuff semi-annually-and HIV, Chlamydia and gonorrhea every month. My guess is that for most swingers, annual comprehensive STD tests and quarterly tests for HIV,gonorrhea and chlamydia(or if any symptoms presented themselves) would go a long ways to making things safer. Many insurance carries will cover an annual sTD screen. Typically they won't cover frequent testing-but you can get HIV/Gonorrhea and Chlamydia tests from home-bio-test.com for $85 the three.(but personally, I would accommodate any hot lady that wanted more recent results)

The other big things you can do:
learn how to do a visual inspection. There is no FDA approved test for men for HPV yet. Most folks that have HSV haven't been tested. If you see small sores or bumps in the
genital area, that is a pretty good indication something is going on-and you probably need to play more carefully than you might otherwise. The thing about HSV and HPV is that HIV can piggyback from these diseases.

[Trojan Defense]

Those are some very interesting answers, though I do not think they reflect the level of thought that the average person on the street puts into this question, which would be more indicative of how the general population thinks.

Most of the answers that I receive to this question would indicate a level of thinking that is almost purely subjective in nature, and prone to a greater margin of error in measuring risk than using the tool that I proposed in the Online STD Risk Assessments thread. You can't tell who has an std by the way they dress, and act. Nor can you rely on your gut instinct, as the person who said "You just know" suggested. And if it does smell down there, then yeah, something may be wrong, but that doesn't necessarily mean its an std. It could be poor hygiene. What these answers and others like them reflect is an inability to objectively measure risk, which is one of the reasons why I proposed the idea.

[highlander]

I saw a scientific paper a while back that said that black teenage women were rather poor at assessing the relative HIV risk of potential partners. That paper has been used at times to support the idea that use of condoms is the only possible precaution for preventing spread of AIDS. The thing is, just because some teenage woman with no specific training can't accurately assess risks in the throws of passion doesn't mean that risk can't be statistically assessed. It also begs the questions of just who are the "experts" that really are effectively reducing their risks relative to what one might expect(which is what my training in similar areas has taught me to look for when handling a problem like this).

I personally suspect that for most people, these kinds of measures are only going to reduce risk 50-60% without using STD testing or substantial lifestyle changes-and that even getting that would take more training than most folks are willing go through.

[two4youinswva]

Originally Posted by highlander

I saw a scientific paper a while back that said that black teenage women were rather poor at assessing the relative HIV risk of potential partners. That paper has been used at times to support the idea that use of condoms is the only possible precaution for preventing spread of AIDS. The thing is, just because some teenage woman with no specific training can't accurately assess risks in the throws of passion doesn't mean that risk can't be statistically assessed. It also begs the questions of just who are the "experts" that really are effectively reducing their risks relative to what one might expect(which is what my training in similar areas has taught me to look for when handling a problem like this).

I personally suspect that for most people, these kinds of measures are only going to reduce risk 50-60% without using STD testing or substantial lifestyle changes-and that even getting that would take more training than most folks are willing go through.

I have noticed you are very active in the threads dealing with STDs and safe sex in general, and have a passion for statistics. I'd like to know how you and your SO decide on who to play with and who to avoid. Do you guys require a test prior to play?

[Trojan Defense]

The reason I asked this question was to examine the alternative to my idea for an Online STD Risk Assessment, to see if it offers any improvements whatsoever over our current situation. In some ways, I think it does.

[SW_PA_Couple]

Before I begin a trip in my automobile, I always ask my windshield-mounted GPS navigation device to plot a course. The navigation device has some useful options. I can choose the fastest route, the shortest route, the route that takes me onto no freeways or the safest route. Funny thing, though. Whenever I choose the safest route, the on-screen map shows only a short blue line leading to the end of the driveway and back into the garage. A little mechanical voice says, "You've already arrived at your destination."

[Coupleerotic22]

Originally Posted by SW_PA_Couple

Before I begin a trip in my automobile, I always ask my windshield-mounted GPS navigation device to plot a course. The navigation device has some useful options. I can choose the fastest route, the shortest route, the route that takes me onto no freeways or the safest route. Funny thing, though. Whenever I choose the safest route, the on-screen map shows only a short blue line leading to the end of the driveway and back into the garage. A little mechanical voice says, "You've already arrived at your destination."

To funny!!

[Trojan Defense]

Originally Posted by SW_PA_Couple

Before I begin a trip in my automobile, I always ask my windshield-mounted GPS navigation device to plot a course. The navigation device has some useful options. I can choose the fastest route, the shortest route, the route that takes me onto no freeways or the safest route. Funny thing, though. Whenever I choose the safest route, the on-screen map shows only a short blue line leading to the end of the driveway and back into the garage. A little mechanical voice says, "You've already arrived at your destination."

I'm sure back in the day of Columbus, when they thought the world was flat, the same joke could have been made. A ship may be safe in the harbor, but that's not what they were built for.

The parallel being that while abstinence may offer the most absolute form of protection, it is not practical advice to give to a population that chooses to be sexually active; something better is needed if we are ever to live in a world where stds are in decline.