Condom Myths vs. Facts: Free Condoms in St. Louis
Condoms have been around for a long time, so there’s also been plenty of time for misinformation to spread. Some myths make people less likely to use them, while others give a false sense of security. The result is that a lot of people are navigating their sexual health with an incomplete or inaccurate picture […]
Summer Travel and Safe Sex: Free Condoms & STD Testing in St. Louis
Summer is here, and for many people, that means travel. For some, that adventurous spirit carries into all aspects of their life. You might be more social, feeling more adventurous, and you might meet someone at a festival, a bar, or through an app in a city that’s new to you. Sex while traveling just […]
What Is Doxy PEP? A Guide to the Newest Tool in STI Prevention
If you’ve been around sexual health conversations recently, you may have heard the term Doxy PEP come up. It’s newer, it’s not as widely known as PrEP, and there’s a fair amount of confusion about what it is, who it’s for, and what it actually does. This is your guide to what Doxy PEP is, […]
Zero HIV Stigma: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Fight It
July 21st is Zero HIV Stigma Day. It’s a day to call out something that often goes unspoken: the fear, judgment, and discrimination around HIV that insidiously make the epidemic worse every year. Stigma doesn’t show up in transmission statistics, but it drives them. It keeps people from getting tested. It keeps people from starting […]
National HIV Testing Day Is June 27. Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Getting Tested.
June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, and this year it falls right in the middle of PrideFest weekend in downtown St. Louis. That’s not a coincidence. Pride has always been about visibility, and there’s nothing more visible you can do for your own health than knowing your status. The message behind National HIV Testing […]
St. Louis LGBTQ+ Pride Month Sexual Health Resource Guide
June is Pride Month, and in St. Louis, that means the Grand Pride Parade rolling down Market Street. It means PrideFest filling downtown with 300,000 people over a weekend. It means the Grove lit up, community organizations setting up tables, neighbors finding each other, and people who spent years hiding some part of themselves standing […]
Talking to Your Teen About Sex Without Making It Weird
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and it’s also when many parents start thinking about summer. With more free time and fewer structured activities, parents often wonder: is it time to have the talk? The truth is, The Talk isn’t just one conversation. It’s many small talks over the years. The sooner and more […]
Sexual Health and Mental Health: How They’re Connected (And Why It Matters)
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to talk about something often overlooked: how your mental health and sexual health are connected. Your mental and sexual health are closely linked. How you feel emotionally can shape your choices about sex, testing, and relationships. In turn, your sexual experiences can affect […]
Sex After a Positive STI Diagnosis: Dating, Disclosure, and Moving Forward
Finding out you have a positive STI diagnosis, whether it’s herpes, HIV, HPV, or something else, can feel like the ground is shifting under your feet. There’s often a rush of emotions: shock, shame, anger, fear. And then, somewhere underneath all of that, a question that might feel too vulnerable to even say out loud: […]
Your First STI Test: What to Expect, Step by Step
So you’ve decided to get tested. That’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. Getting an STI test in St. Louis is a normal, responsible, and caring act for you and the people close to you. But if it’s your first time, we understand it might feel a little intimidating. What will […]