Yes, my friend of many years is finally preggers! She has a history unfortunately of genital herpes. She plans on having a regular vaginal birth. I may be a nurse, and I never worked L&D, but I remember herpes automatically meaning a c section as the virus can cause blindness in newborns. Is this still the belief?

We all know about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but few people realize that they have quite a history about them.  For many, these diseases are quiet a new phenomenon, and they are quite ignorant to the fact that some of these diseases have been around for decades, and some even centuries.

You may ask how this is so, and one must think about it.  Many STDs can come about because many individuals have an extremely sense of hygiene, and therefore these infections are able to fester within them, and eventually be passed on to others.

Many of the sexually transmitted diseases that we encounter today seem to have been very popular during certain eras.  Each seems to go with the times, however, still remain today.  Before the 1960′s the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases were Gonorrhea and Syphilis.  Again, this was largely due to poor hygiene.  This was because of the lack of medical advancement during those times. 

It was not until 1976, that Chlamydia was first recognized and diagnosed as a sexually transmitted disease. And it was not until 1981, that one of the most notorious STDs was discovered. This disease is of course what we now know as AIDS.  In 1996, HPV or Human Papilloma Virus was recognized as the cause of 90% of all cervical cancer cases, and is the reason for yearly PAP smears. And it should be noted that post 1980′s more than 8 new STDs have been diagnosed.

Of course, one should realize that the majority of these diseases have been around for much longer than we have known about them.  However, it has taken some time to be able to diagnose exactly what they are, and how the human body is affected by the infections.

It must also be mentioned, that due to advancements within the medical realm, many of these diseases is easily curable.  Medicines and treatments have been created to help fight against the infections.  However, there are still some sexually transmitted diseases that still have no cure to date.  STDs such as AIDS will eventually lead to the person’s death; however, there are treatments to help prolong life.

We must remember that the world has existed a lot longer than we have, and one must not be ignorant to the fact that even as we evolve as a race, we are not the only ones or things evolving.  We will always be subjected to diseases such as the ones we learn about, so that is why we must educate ourselves about the dangers.

STD History – do you think those sexually transmitted diseases are relatively new?  Think again!  Find out about these diseases and see how long they’ve been around for!

even though she is agnostic or atheist(has no religion telling her sex is bad) and we are very close otherwise? While I realize women tend to be more private and embarrassed about their sexual histories compared to men, what other reason could there be besides possible STD infection that a woman would lie or avoid discussing this, especially with a non-religious, non-prudish man like me, especially if she also isn’t religious?

This is the first serious relationship I have been in since being diagnosed with high risk HPV. My recent test have been negative and it is currently dormant but I need to share this with my soon to be new partner. I’m not sure how or when, he is ready for sex.