Sexually associated urinary tract infections, a.k.a. "Honeymoon Cystitis", are a not infrequent consequence of enthusiastic sex. They can occur whether or not a couple is practicing safer sex, because these infections are not necessarily caused by bacteria being transmitted between partners, they can also be caused by bacteria being moved around and ending up where it's not supposed to.

While doing things like peeing after sex may help to prevent UTIs, word is out that they're getting harder to treat. According to a paper published in the April issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, antibiotic resistance in the E. coli that causes these infections is on the rise. Between 2000 and 2010, the percentage of infections that were resistant to the mainline treatment, ciprofloxacin, rose from 3 to 17 percent! That's a terrifying statistic. As with antibiotic resistant gonorrhea, it's not unbelievable that one day we could run out of treatment options for these infections, something which would be very bad for the many men and women who suffer them.

• Are UTIs STDs?
• Antibiotic Resistant Gonorrhea

Scientists have known for a while that survey participants tend to be more honest about sexual activity and other stigmatized behaviors when they are given the opportunity to answer questions electronically. It's much easier for people to admit to behaviors they think that doctors or researchers won't approve of when they don't have to talk to them face to face. That's why I was so interested to read this article about using an electronic survey in the emergency room to determine whether teens should be screened for sexually transmitted diseases.

Not surprisingly, the young people who were surveyed found the computer system easy to use, these days far more difficult interfaces are pretty much ubiquitous, and many also said they preferred it to talking to a doctor. Even more importantly, from my perspective, using the survey doubled the number of teens who were tested for STDs. This sort of electronic survey could be an enormous boon for medical practices who can afford the technology and already use an electronic patient record system. Not only would it likely increase the accuracy of patient histories, but it would save a great deal of time and effort in data entry - since the patients would be doing it themselves.

• How do researchers determine if survey participants are telling the truth?
• STD Screening Guidelines

Hearing that you have an abnormal Pap smear may seem scary, as may learning that you have HPV, but it's important to know that most of the time neither diagnosis will turn out to be a big deal. HPV is ubiquitous. Up to 80 percent of women will be infected at some point during their lives, and only a tiny percentage will ever see any lasting consequences of the infection. As for abnormal Pap smears, they're described as "pre-cancerous," but that doesn't mean they're necessarily going to become malignant. Even high grade cervical lesions can heal on their own, sometimes, and those that don't are almost always easily and effectively treated with good follow-up. Furthermore, sometimes that follow up requires nothing more than coming back in six months or a year for another Pap.

All of which is to say that if you've recently gotten a call about an abnormal Pap smear or an HPV infection... Don't Panic! Do your reading, make certain to get to your follow-up appointments, and the odds are that everything will be just fine.

• Understanding an Abnormal Pap Smear
• HPV 101

1. If you haven't asked your doctor for STD testing, it's probably not part of your standard health care routine
2. The only way to know whether you have an STD is to be screened - and screened on a regular basis, if your partners change.
3. You can have an STD without having any symptoms for years, or even decades.
4. STDs, including herpes, can be transmitted even when a person doesn't have any symptoms.
5. STDs can also be spread through oral sex - not just intercourse.
6. You can make just about any kind of sex safer, if not 100 percent risk free.
7. If you have been in a relationship for a while, and you suddenly start showing STD symptoms, it doesn't necessarily mean your partner has cheated on you.
8. There is no way to tell if someone has an STD just by looking at them. You can't even tell if you have an STD without getting tested.
9. Men don't have to be the ones to buy the condoms.
10. STD tests aren't perfect, so it's always a good idea to make smart, conservative choices about safe sex.

Oh, and one last thing. Don't let worries about STDs make you miserable. Safe sex can be hot sex. In fact, it can be even hotter sex than unprotected sex, since you know you're making an active choice to get in bed and have fun.