In the study, researchers looked at the way college students talk about sex ⎼ especially casual sex or hooking up ⎼ and what that means for the way their classmates think about sex.

So, what did the researchers find?

While college students talk the talk, it seems that they don’t walk the walk…at least as much as they say. According to the study, students tended to have fewer casual sex encounters than their discussions indicated.

But there’s an extra note of caution here, too. The types of sex college students were most likely to talk about were high-risk situations, like having unplanned and drunken sex with someone they didn’t know. And talking about that kind of sex made their friends more likely to perceive high-risk sex as normal.

That’s a problem.

When people think high-risk sex is normal, they’re more likely to go for it. And, unfortunately, people who have drunken sex with strangers are more likely to catch an STD or have an unintended pregnancy.

To prevent STDs and unintended pregnancy, it’s important to use condoms. And it also helps to know the STD status of your sexual partner. Better yet, couples can get tested for STDs together before they have sex (including oral and anal sex, too). Remember, STDs don’t always caused obvious symptoms…testing is the only way to know if you or a potential sex partner has an STD.

So the next time you hear about a hook-up…take it with a grain of salt. And if you’re sexually active, take control of your sexual health by using protection and getting tested for STDs.

Sex is a constant influence in media, in politics and in our personal lives. Unfortunately, good information about STDs and sexual health isn’t as prevalent.

No matter who you are, if you don’t know the facts about STDs and STD risk factors, you’re probably living with a lot of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Even actor Matthew Morrison – better known as Mr. Schu in the TV show “Glee” – said recently that he avoided sex when he was younger because of an irrational fear that any kind of sexual activity would result in an STD. Singer and songwriter Katy Perry also stated in an interview that her religious upbringing left her clueless about sex and STDs.

Being uninformed or misinformed about STDs leads to fear. So here are the basics of what you need to know to protect yourself and others from getting infected or spreading an infection:

1. Know your partner & communicate. With every new relationship, get tested for STDs. Give yourselves the peace of mind of knowing each other’s STD status. And don’t be afraid to share your concerns with each other…your sexual health is worth talking about!

Do you trust your sexual partner? Do you know if your partner has a history of STDs? Are you worried about whether your partner is having sex with other people? Ask away…you deserve to know.

2.  Use condoms & practice safer sex. You’ve seen the ads on buses and billboards: “No condom, no way.” Those ads are for real. Using latex condoms or dental dams every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex greatly lowers your risk of getting HIV or other STDs from someone who might be infected…or from spreading a sexually transmitted infection to others.

And use common sense: avoid contact with open cuts or sores.

Being smart about your sexual health also means understanding how STDs can’t be spread. For example, you can’t get HIV through everyday contact with people who are infected with the virus…or through contact with their urine, sweat, tears, coughs or sneezes. And you can’t get HIV by “dry” kissing an infected person…or from toilet seats or eating utensils.

STDs aren’t taboo like they used to be…so if you have questions, ask us and put your fears to rest. Our knowledgeable, STD-certified Care Advisors are just a call away: 866.660.2593 (toll-free).

Harvard researchers Kirsten Smith, Ph.D., and Nicholas Christakis, M.D., studied 400,000 American couples between 67 and 99 years old.  Of the men who were widowed in the 9 year study, the likelihood of receiving an STD diagnosis rose by 83 percent for recently bereaved men from 1998 onward, when Viagra hit the market.  Gonorrhea was the most common STD among men in the study with syphilis, herpes, and HIV close behind.

Makes sense, but there’s a lesson here.  While birth control may not be an issue, all older people with new sexual partners need to practice safe sex.   Interested in reading the study?  Smith KP, Christakis MA. Association between widowhood and risk of diagnosis with a sexually transmitted disease in older adults. Am J Public Health 99(11), 2009.

We would love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts, comments, feedback, stories, rants, and raves.  America needs to dialogue about sexual health.  Join the conversation.