It is difficult to sift through the many waves of misinformation with regard to STDs. That is why it is important to arm yourself with proven facts and findings.

There are a myriad of myths and distorted beliefs circulating with regard to Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs. Listed below are a series of facts and findings from health care providers and practitioners as a means of separating fact from fiction.

• Sexual abstinence is the only way to guarantee one will avoid STD infection 100 percent.

• The risk of acquiring or transmitting an STD is directly associated to sexually active persons who have multiple sex partners.

• STDs are acquired or transmitted during intimate sexual activity.

• Not all persons infected with an STD show obvious symptoms.

• Inanimate objects do not transmit STDs - people transmit STDs during intimate sexual activity.

• A person can be infected with one or several different STDs at the same time.

• Undetected, untreated and/or inadequately treated STDs can lead to serious health problems that may ultimately result in permanent tissue damage, threaten one's life and/or result in loss of life.

• Unlike some other diseases, having an STD once or several times does not provide immunity from "getting" an STD in the future.

• Persons who are advised by their health care professional they are infected with an STD should take rapid action to insure their sex partners are advised to seek medical assistance - evaluation.

• Persons who are sexually active with multiple sex partners should seek regular medical checkups to facilitate early detection and reduce the risk of medical complications from undetected - untreated infection.

• Prevention includes: abstinence; if sexually active, maintaining a mutually exclusive relationship for you and your partner; use of a quality latex prophylactic.

• Chlamydia and gonorrhea are bacterial STDs usually localized to the initial site of infection.

• Symptoms with gonorrhea are very similar to those of chlamydia for both women and men.

• Syphilis is a systemic disease that is spread via the blood and/or lymphatic system and the organism that causes syphilis multiplies itself within the circulatory system.

• Syphilis can progress through four stages: Primary, Secondary, Early Latent and Late Latent.

• Undetected - untreated STDs can lead to medical complications requiring extended and costly medical care and may involve extended hospital care.

• STD infections can seriously impact one's social, educational and/or daily living environment.

• Regular testing for sexually transmitted infections is recommended annually for those who engage in unprotected sex and for those that have multiple partners.