The Sexpert

Dear Sexpert,

I know that condoms can prevent me from contracting STIs from oral, anal or vaginal sex, but how can I protect myself from STIs when I engage in different types of sexual activities?

— STI-Free and Loving It

Dear STI-Free,

This is a really important question because people often don't know that there are different forms of protection and that you can still get STIs even when you're not having penetrative sexual intercourse. When engaging in anal-oral stimulation or oral sex with a woman, a dental dam is a great tool to protect against STIs. It's a small piece of latex that is placed over the genitals or anus in order to protect the mouth. You can pick them up for free at McCosh or at the LGBT center on the 200-level of Frist, but if you need one in a pinch, you can easily make a dental dam out of a condom by cutting off the tip of the condom and cutting down the middle. You can also cut a square out of a latex glove or use a piece of non-microwaveable Saran Wrap. The microwaveable kind has pores that allow STIs to be transmitted.

If you're engaging in manual stimulation with a partner and you have a cut on your finger or just want some extra protection, finger cots are like little condoms for your fingers. These can also be made from surgical gloves. Using dental dams and finger cots is a responsible and a fantastic way to take part in worry-free sexual activities.

— The Sexpert

Dear Sexpert,

I've been hearing a lot recently about the HPV vaccine and how all women should talk to their doctors about getting vaccinated. But what about men? Don't both sexes contract HPV? Why aren't men being vaccinated?

— Health Conscious

Dear Health Conscious,

That's a very good point. Both males and females are equally capable of contracting the HPV virus, either in the form of genital warts or in an asymptomatic form. But males are currently not being given the HPV vaccine in the United States, partly due to the lack of testing that has been done the vaccination on males; without this testing and proof of positive results, the FDA will not approve the drug for dispersal to the male population. Testing on females has indicated a decrease in cervical cancer caused by HPV strains 16 and 18, which are responsible for 70 percent of all cases of cervical cancer. As a result, the HPV vaccine has been approved and is even suggested for all women between the ages of 11 and 26. While males don't have a cervix and therefore cannot contract cervical cancer, certain strains of HPV cause penile cancer in males and anal cancer in both males and females, both equally preventable with the current vaccine.

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Vaccinating only women from ages 11 to 26 will not eradicate the disease. Until men can be immunized, only 50 percent of the population at most will be HPV free, and as the vaccine is currently guaranteed to last only five years, the number won't even be that high. Rubella, a disease that only affects women, has a vaccine that is given to every child born in the United States at birth. Until at least 80 percent of the population of the United States has been vaccinated, HPV will continue to be a prevalent threat.

— The Sexpert