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Hepatitis A spreads through a specific route — the fecal-oral route — which means the virus enters the body when tiny amounts of fecal matter from an infected person are ingested. This can happen through contaminated food, water, or close personal contact, including sexual activity. Understanding how hepatitis A is transmitted helps clarify when testing

Oral sex can transmit several STDs, and many people are surprised to learn just how many infections pass this way. Whether you’re giving or receiving, the mouth, throat, and genitals can all be entry points for bacteria and viruses. This page walks through which STDs can spread through oral sex, what transmission actually looks like,

Condoms are one of the most widely used ways to reduce the chance of getting an STD during sex. They work by creating a physical barrier between partners, blocking the exchange of fluids and reducing skin-to-skin contact. But how well do they actually work — and are there limits to what they can do? Here’s

Hepatitis C is transmitted through direct blood-to-blood contact with an infected person. Understanding how HCV spreads helps you figure out whether testing makes sense for your situation. If you’ve had any exposure that involved blood contact, getting clarity through a simple test is a straightforward next step. For broader context on how bloodborne and sexually

HPV, or human papillomavirus, spreads through direct skin-to-skin contact — most often during sexual activity. It’s the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with an estimated 43 million infections recorded in 2018 alone. Understanding how is HPV transmitted helps you make sense of your own situation, whatever that looks like. For a

Gonorrhea is passed from one person to another through sexual contact. Specifically, it spreads when bodily fluids — semen, pre-ejaculate, or vaginal fluids — come into contact with mucous membranes in the genitals, rectum, or throat. Understanding exactly how gonorrhea is transmitted can help you figure out your own situation and decide whether testing makes

STD transmission rates vary widely depending on the infection, the type of sexual contact, and a range of biological factors. Some STDs pass easily from one person to another in a single encounter. Others have much lower per-act rates. Understanding — and how often they do — can help you make more sense of your

Trichomoniasis spreads through sexual contact, and understanding exactly how it moves from one person to another can clear up a lot of confusion. It’s caused by a tiny parasite called Trichomonas vaginalis — not a bacteria or virus — and it behaves a little differently from other STDs. Knowing how it’s transmitted also helps you

Hepatitis B spreads through contact with infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. Understanding how is hepatitis b transmitted helps you figure out whether testing makes sense for your situation. The virus enters the body through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin — not through casual everyday contact. If you’re trying to make sense of

STD prevention shots, vaccines, and pills give you real options for reducing your exposure to certain infections before or after sexual contact. Not every STD has a vaccine, but for those that do, the protection is genuine and long-lasting. This page walks through what’s currently available — from the HPV vaccine to newer options like