Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Question
Published: November 20, 1999
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am a 17-year-old male who just started getting intimate with my girlfriend. She insists that if I touch my pre-ejaculatory fluids that forms at the tip of my penis and then touch her vaginal area, she could catch any sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) I may have. Is that true?
Signed: Pre-Ejaculatory Fluids & STDs
Dear Pre-Ejaculatory Fluids & STDs,
Protect yourself and your girlfriend and save yourself from an STD!
If you have an STD, pre-ejaculatory fluids can be an effective body fluid that transmits an STD. The germs that cause STDs are found in the urethra - that's the passage in your penis that urine and ejaculation pass through on their way out.
It's really important to practice safer sex because some STDs are really serious and not curable. Using a condom not only reduces the risk of pregnancy, but also of getting an STD.
It seems like you and your girlfriend have had some open discussions about sex and that's good! Continue talking about sex and your relationship. In your discussion, try to talk about past partners and using STD protection and birth control. Also, you should both go to a teen health center or a Planned Parenthood in your area before you decide to have sex. If you live in northern New Jersey, please call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at (973) 971.5199. Teen health centers can see you without your parent's permission, confidentially and on a reduced or no cost basis.
Stay free of STDs!
Signed: TeenHealthFX
One in four teenage girls in the 
