The hookup culture (uncommitted sexual intercourse) is easier today thanks to the advent of mobile dating applications and the general openness of modern men and women on the separation of sex and love.
With every match on Tinder, meeting new and exciting people weekly is almost guaranteed. If you play your cards right, you’re in for a good time.
Once you are hooked, you continue to do the same thing every single week, meeting new and beautiful people from different backgrounds to spice things up.
So what can go wrong?
Well, even if you have a good time, that still doesn’t let you off the hook from the looming threat of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
The STDs of interest are HIV, Herpes and Hepatitis B because these are the infections that the hookup culture is least informed of but pose very dangerous chronic morbidities to you.
HIV
HIV should be your utmost concern as carriers do not know they have it, thus continuing to spread the virus unknowingly. You feel healthy? Good, but so does someone with HIV for the first five to 10 years of infection.
HIV can stay in your body and not do anything for years and because of this, you do not have any symptoms or signs. This is how HIV is spreading.
It’s easy to think that you are clean and healthy if you don’t have any signs or symptoms, leading people to unwarily engage in sexual intercourse. Even if you were to get tested before getting physical, you’re going to have to wait a little bit.
The rate of antibody produced towards fighting HIV varies according to people and that is why it takes around 28 days for 95% of people with HIV to test positive. Some take longer and require a second confirmation test, 3 months after exposure.
The thought of acquiring HIV is a massive deterrent because it will kill you by making your immune system severely weak. There is no cure for it, only treatment to moderate the progression of the disease as well as to prevent its potential spread.
Using a condom protects you from getting or spreading HIV provided that you only have vaginal sex . If you switch between vaginal and oral sex in one session, having sores or ulcers on either the mouth or the genitals serves as an opening that allows infection to get into the body.
Oral and genital herpes
When someone with Herpes experience viral shedding through their skin and secretion, they can transmit the virus to you by engaging in unprotected sex.
There’s no cure for Herpes and once you have it, it stays with you for life. You will occasionally experience periods of viral reactivation or outbreak, manifested as a single or clustered vesicles on the genitals, perineum, buttocks, upper thighs, or perianal areas that ulcerate before resolving.
Since there is no cure, current treatment helps to ease symptoms of reactivation and reduce the risk of infecting others.
Hepatitis B
You hardly think of Hepatitis B as an STD or how devastating it can be. Hepatitis B doesn’t have any cure. Treatment is just for controlling the disease from progressing to full blown liver failure or liver cancer.
You can get Hepatitis B in a similar fashion as HIV, via transfer and exchange of bodily fluids. Fortunately, unlike the previous two infections, you can get vaccinated for Hepatitis B to provide optimal protection. However, if you are already exposed to it, vaccination will not do you any good.
Conclusion
As fun as the hookup culture can be, there are real risks that are not worth taking. Even if you remain faithful to a selected number of people, you can’t be sure that these people do not have any extra partners beyond your knowledge.
It’s best to have a committed partner and foster transparency and trust between each other. Get yourself adequate protection and take precautionary steps to prevent you from acquiring or transmitting STDs.
The Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.