Intercourse Safety! Safety! Safety!

We've all gotten used to hearing the standard lectures about safe sex. Unfortunately, this topic has become so shopworn that many people may have begun to tune it out. Yet while they are paying less attention to the warnings, cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are actually on the rise. Now, your likelihood of coming into contact with an STD is higher than ever. Check out these facts:

• Right now in the US, an estimated 65 million people have an incurable STD. And every year, another 15 million become infected with STDs, only a few of which are curable.

• If you're 25 or younger, you're in the age group where two-thirds of ALL STDs occur. One in four new STD infections occur in teenagers.

• As many as one in five Americans have genital herpes. One in five! Yet the vast majority of them - a full 80 percent of those with herpes - don't yet know they have it.

• At least one in four Americans will contract an STD at some point in their lives. Again, one in four. Horrifying.

• Overall, herpes is the most common STD in the United States, with more than 45 million individuals having this lifelong, incurable virus. Though considered relatively benign compared with other STDs, it is still gross, disruptive and difficult to live with. More than 1 million people acquire herpes each year.

• Notice how pretty much everyone says they've been tested and are "clean"? Don't necessarily take their word for it: Less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STD other than HIV / AIDS.

Some of the common STDs are icky but fixable. Here's an overview of some of the most prevalent STDs, all three of which are treatable and pretty easily curable with antibiotics if recognized and addressed right away. KEY: if you have engaged in risky behavior, get tested! It's worth whatever embarrassment or discomfort to either get treatment or peace of mind.

Chlamydia
According to the Centers for Disease Control's 2003 statistics, Chlamydia trachomatis cases have increased 5.1% since 2002, a continued trend since the 1980's when widespread testing first took hold in the US. Though conventionally known as a women's infection, more and more men are now testing positive for Chlamydia. The infection is spread through any type of sexual contact - oral, vaginal or anal.

Chlamydia in men can be almost completely without symptoms, or it may have the unpleasant symptoms of penile discharge and even eventual infertility. It's the most widespread bacterial STD's in the United States. The CDC estimates that more than 3 million people are infected each year!

Gonorrhea
Another bacterial STD, gonorrhea is also on the rise in the US. Sometimes, there are no noticeable symptoms, though men are more likely to notice symptoms than women. Symptoms would occur within 2 to 10 days after contact with an infected partner.

For women, the symptoms are bleeding associated with intercourse, burning and pain during urination and yellow or bloody discharge. Untreated, gonorrhea can cause pelvic inflamatory disease which is painful and can lead to infertility.

For men, the symptoms are white, yellow or green pus from the penis, accompanied by pain, severe burning sensations during urination, and swollen testicles. In very severe cases, gonorrhea can spread into the blood stream and infect in the joints or even the heart valves and brain.

Syphilis
The Centers for Disease Control is seeing a new surge in cases of syphilis, which is a devastating disease once epidemic in scope. This is a baddie: symptoms range from early stage almost undetectable sores, to middle stage rashes on the hands, feet and body, and left untreated, can even progress to causing blindness, heart abnormalities, mental disorders, nervous system problems and death. Another truly scary fact about syphilis: it increases your risk of acquiring the HIV virus (the AIDS-causing virus) by 3 to 5 times.

To prevent / avoid infection, the Centers for Disease Control recommends condoms (male and/or female), dental dams to protect you during oral sex, and latex gloves. If all that sounds positively un-sexy (and face it, it is!), your other option is to set some behavior standards for yourself: 1) have sex, but choose your partners with scrupulous care, take your time instead of just taking their word, and don't sleep with tons of people. 2) nurture a monogamous relationship with a healthy person and sideline most of your latex protection goodies. Consider: put the energy you used to put into the pursuit into a fabulous sex life with one person.