According to every single headline I’ve seen this morning, it seems that there is an outbreak of something called the Swine Flu. I don’t really know what it is (or what pigs have against us…besides the fact that we only like them for their fatty and delicious goodness), but my finger started hurting last night and I can only assume I have caught it.

Schools and businesses are being closed because of this sitch, and people from NY to Chicago are walking around town with SARS masks on.

But while the rest of the world is freaking out, I couldn’t be happier.

Seriously, schools and businesses are closing? Holla back, y’all. This swine flu is the perfect excuse for just about anything this week and I plan to milk it for all it’s worth: Read More »

Do you have that burning, itching, inflamed, oozey feeling south of the border? Maybe you don’t see or feel anything obvious but you just have that nagging suspicion that last week’s man-whore frat-guy gave you more than his number. Either way, it’s time you got checked out.

Even if you don’t suspect any foul play but just want to be on the safe side, you should set up an appointment. Not sure where to start? Here’s everything you need to know before you put on the paper gown. Read More »

When I found out that 25% of college students have a Sexually Transmitted Disease, I laughed. Surely that statistic referred to the more promiscuous students, or those who were dumb enough not to use a condom during sex.

Then I found out that two of the eight girls living in my house (25%) had contracted an STD. These two girls weren’t promscuous – one was a virgin! – and the other was always safe. And that was when I realized just how serious STDs were for all women on college campuses.

The problem with STDs is that people don’t talk about them. We all think that by practicing safe sex – using a condom – we are safe from everything and because we have this false sense of safety, many of us never get tested. And that is why 1 in 4 college students currently have an STD.

April is STD Awareness Month and in conjuction with that, we at CollegeCandy decided to stop regular posting and turn today into STD Awareness Day. We have teamed with with many experts in the field – doctors, nurses, STD specialists, etc. – to bring you the information you need to protect yourself and start a necessary dialogue on a serious issue.

We urge you to learn a little bit and make an appointment to get tested!

Below are some pretty serious and scary facts about STDs that we never knew. Chances are, you don’t know about them either and that is dangerous. Knowledge is power and when it comes to STDs, it is the power to protect youself: Read More »

Did you know that April is STD Awareness Month? Probably not seeing as it’s not the most exciting thing to celebrate. I’m not sure many cities or towns hold parades with condom floats rolling down the street and children with “Yay, Herpes!” balloons tied to their wrists.

Well, it is. And while it’s not the most fun thing to celebrate, STD awareness is incredibly important.

In conjunction with the month long push by the CDC, Planned Parenthood and other medical organizations, CollegeCandy will be halting regular posting tomorrow and devoting the entire day to STD awareness. We’ve teamed up with some really knowledgeable and important people who know their stuff to bring you some pretty important information on STDs and how to protect yourself.

1 in 4 college women have an STD and only 10% know it. 10%!! Check back in with us all day tomorrow to avoid being a statistic. And in the meantime, go get tested. It’s the only way to protect yourself and prevent spreading anything icky on to that guy you’ve been eyeing in the caf.

Have you always imagined beer being a juvenile drink of choice? You know, the first thing you are able to buy with a fake id at the convenience store and the mainstay of colleges across the nation?

I always imagined a “mature” adult being the one to order vodka on the rocks or some sort of hardcore liquor. Well, it’s time for all of us to throw those notions out the window. Recent studies conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have found that adult binge drinkers actually prefer beer, and teens are the ones into the “hard stuff.”

Why might this be? Read More »

If there weren’t already a million and one reasons to use protection, there’s now one more. A recent study by the CDC has shown that many cases of gonorrhea have become resistant to the drug used for treatment.

What’s even scarier about this is between 700,000 and 800,000 people are infected with gonorrhea each year. I don’t know why this is—I imagine it’s because you’re already fighting a virus—but women infected with gonorrhea are more likely to contract HIV. I searched around for a little bit to try and figure out exactly why this is, and didn’t find a clear explanation. So, if someone knows enlighten me.

Reading the statistics about this can be slightly disarming. I didn’t know that women who take birth control are four times more likely to contract an STD. What else… Nearly 50% of sexually active women contract HPV in their lives. That’s a lot! Women are also more succecptable to STDs.

I don’t want to be preachy, but at this point, we should all know better than to not protect ourselves. Sometimes, it can be easy to get carried away and caught up in the moment, but there are so many things out there now that it’s not worth it. Besides—there are an array of fun condoms out there. I kind of want to try this vibrating one…