With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many students are expecting a night of romance and intimacy with a significant other. But before getting too cozy, be aware of the possibilities of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

“The most common sexually transmitted infections for college age students include chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes or HPV [Humanpapilloma Virus] infections,” said Camille Childers, a registered nurse and director of Student Health Services at Wichita State.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia and gonorrhea can cause fertility problems in women if left untreated.

 HPV, on the other hand, is associated with multiple types of cancers including cervical, vulvar, penile, anal and oropharyngeal (a cancer that affects the back of the throat, including the tongue and tonsils).

Childers recommends sexually active men and women, of any sexual orientation, should be tested annually if they have a new partner or multiple partners.

“Student Health does testing for STDs at very reasonable costs and periodically will offer free testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea,” Childers said.

Besides being periodically tested, students have a number of options to protect themselves against STDs, including abstinence from any type of sex (STDs can be contracted from anal and oral sex, as well as vaginal), reducing the number of sexual partners, being in a monogamous relationship and using condoms.

Student Health Services is located in 209 Ahlberg Hall and offers STD screenings and other low-cost, professional and confidential health services without requiring health insurance.