SEX
Ask Your Family Doctor Rachael L. Ross, MD, PhD, a.k.a. Dr. Rachael answers your questions.
Is Sex a Hep C Risk? Yes, but only in these rare instances.
Although conflicting reports have created confusion about whether or not hep C is a sexually transmitted disease, the key to staying safe is to understand that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) does have the potential to be spread through sexual contact. Here are the risks and how to avoid them. Hepatitis C is a serious liver disease caused by a virus that’s transmitted through direct contact with the blood of infected people, explains Michael Ryan, MD, clinical professor of medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Hep C can lead to serious liver disease, liver failure or cancer, transplants or even death. Currently, hep C is responsible for about 15,000 deaths every year, and African Americans are more likely to be chronically infected than other ethnic groups. Sexual activity is risky if it involves exposure to blood with partners who are living with hep C or whose hep C status isn’t known. Examples include prolonged or “rough” anal sex, fisting, sex during menstruation and group sex. The risk appears highest among HIV-positive gay men. So how can you stay safe from hep C? Always use a condom, Ryan says. They’re cheap and readily available and will also protect you from sexually transmitted infections. In addition, avoid injecting drugs or sharing needles. Also, don’t share razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers or any other items that could have come in contact with even minuscule amounts of blood. Ryan goes one step further and advises that everyone get tested for hep C— even those who don’t think they’re at risk. “Ask your doctor specifically about getting tested for hepatitis C today; it’s a simple blood test,” he says. “Many people live with hep C for decades without knowing it because the disease often has no symptoms.” —Cristina González
Number of baby boomers who have hepatitis C (most don’t know it). Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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realhealthmag.com
Before you take the sexual plunge with someone new, become an informed consumer. You deserve to find a partner who is honest about his or her sexual health, capable of monogamy and currently single. Early on, create a communicative atmosphere and get to know this person before you open your heart and invest your valuable time on someone not worthy of it. Find out immediately just how available he or she is by asking candid sexual history questions such as, “When was the last time you had sex and who was it with?” “Has anyone ever given you a sexually transmitted infection—an STI?” and even this one: “Have you ever been caught cheating?” Sexual history conversations should be fun. There’s no need to interrogate, and the dialogue should flow both ways. Be sure to talk about this face-to-face. Why? Because eye contact is important and will help you decide what is real versus fake. Once you feel comfortable, then plan for the future and take that trip together to get tested for HIV and other STIs.
(COUPLE) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JIM JURICA; (ROSS) COURTESY OF RACHAEL ROSS, MD
How much should you ask a potential partner to divulge about his or her sexual history?