Could STDs Be A Possibility?
STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) are generally transmitted from the skin-to-skin contact that occurs while two people are being physically intimate in a sexual way. This can include vaginal sex, oral sex and anal sex. In order for an STD to be transmitted, one or both of the people engaging in some kind of sexual act needs to be infected with an STD. One of the tricky things about this is that sometimes a person can be carrying an STD but not yet have symptoms. So they don’t know they have an STD and unknowingly pass it onto to someone else. The other tricky thing is that sometimes people are not honest about their sexual histories. They might keep certain things to themselves, even if it not meant to cause harm, but rather out of embarrassment or concern of being judged in some way by the person they are currently with.
As for your situation, if in fact neither of you has ever been sexually active before and neither of you has an STD, it would be impossible for one to be transmitted between the two of you. Even if one of you did have an STD, since there was no skin-to-skin contact, it would be unlikely for transmission to have occurred.
TeenHealthFX recommends that you and your boyfriend educate yourselves about safer sex. You can speak to your primary care physician or an adolescent medicine specialist about it. If you don't have a doctor and live in northern New Jersey, you can call the Adolescent/Young Adult Center for Health at 973-971-5199 for an appointment with an adolescent medicine specialist or contact your local teen health center or Planned Parenthood. A Planned Parenthood health center is a good option if you have concerns about cost or confidentiality issues. You can also contact your insurance company for a list of in-network providers.
You can also check out the following resources for more information:
Safer Sex Considerations for Young Men in Same-Sex Relationships
CDC Fact Sheet: Information for Teens and Young Adults: Staying Healthy and Preventing STDs
