StD'S AiD'S HiV. ????? {HElP}?

Ok; People .& doctors say that it takes up to 5 to 10 years to know if you have anything so whats the point and getting checked if you might have something.. And, your going around thinking you don't but you really do. So, what's the whole ideal of condoms? If your not fully protected anyways???

It doesn't take 5-10 years for HIV to be detectable on a blood test. It can be detected as early as 2 weeks after exposure, and most infected people test positive within 3 months. Most other STDs are also detectable within a couple of weeks after exposure.

The idea of condoms is to protect you from both pregnancy and most STDs. Condoms offer limited protection from infections like herpes and HPV that may be present in the genital area not covered by the condom, but they are very good protection against gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, hepatitis, and HIV.

Let's assume you've had 5 partners. Let's assume each of these 5 partners also had 5 other partners before they met you. This would expose you to any STD that those 31 people might have.

Seven partners? 127 exposures.
Eight partners? 255 exposures.
Twelve partners? 4,095 exposures.

I volunteer at a womens health and pregnancy center. My #1 job is pregnancy tests; my #2 job is talking about STDs and referring people for testing.

It is so sad of the misinformed/miscommunication of STD's. It's a shame and very scary. Bacteria infections shows up on tests within days of exposure with sex without symptoms or not. Viral infections within 3 months to 6 months of exposure with sex to determine whether a person has HIV, genital herpes, and HPV.

The thing about symptoms and non symptoms, and people being unaware of their status, is because people do not follow the regular routine checkups of STDs let alone physical exams. There are people who do not go and get tested let alone see their doctor for years. I was one of them who, although I never had a health problem or STD, I did not see my doctor for 3 years (and I'm a female) because I just had no reason to see a doctor. I felt I was in perfectly good health, but now, I realize how life threatening that could of been if I had something and never knew because I never went to doctor.

Just because people do or don't have symptoms for months up to years, the infections are in their blood/urine to detect within days to months.

Condoms reduces the risk, although it does not fully protect. But it reduces the risk tremendously and knocks off quite a large number of transmissions of pregnancies or STDS as supposed to sex being unprotected with no ifs, and, or buts about it because whatever had happened, happened because they was no protection whatsoever.

It is scary though that many people have been misinformed. Always remember, any form of sexual relations should make you want to go get tested every 3 to 6 months no matter how trustworthy that person is.

Nothing but abstinence is 100% full proof...condoms HELP in safer sex practices ie protects from direct bodily fluid exchange....also whoever told you it takes 5 to 10 years is wrong...it can take up to a year but with the newer tests they can usually tell by 6 mos...its more common to get false positive than a false negative....having unprotected sex bc its not 100% is like not wearing shoes in the rain bc they MAY get wet....get informed and get right...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_sex

Because condoms reduce your chances of contracting a std, and if you do have it medicine will help you live a almost normal life and live longer than if you didn't;t take medicine.