Whenever a friend tells me they're seeing someone new, I always ask the same question:

"Were you safe? Did you ask about their sexual history or if they have been tested lately?"

My friends always roll their eyes and call me "mom." They say they didn't ask because it would've "killed the mood."Well the STD that person may have also kills the mood. Just saying.

STDs are at an all-time high because no one bothers to talk about their sexual history. Women, in particular, need to get their yearly checks because if the STD or other vaginal problems aren't caught there can be severe repercussions like contracting the new STD, donovanosis. (This is a "flesh-eating" STD that is spreading all over the UK.)

Truthfully, men and women have to be more careful, especially with hookup culture being so prominent. It's fine to sleep with whoever you want but there has to be a line and it has to be maintained. Think about what happens after that line is crossed. You get STDs, unwanted pregnancy, and, potentially, a disease for life.

Checking a hookup's sexual history is key but not just for avoiding douche canoes but also because AIDS is still prominent today. It's treatable, sure but it isn't curable. You'll suffer from a disease for the rest of your life because you didn't want to ask one simple question: Have you been tested recently?

The highest record of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in the United States in 2016. Over TWO MILLION cases were reported and we could've cut down on those numbers by practicing safe sex and asking awkward questions before jumping in bed.

These are curable but can lead to serious health issues such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth risk, and even higher chance of contracting HIV.

So ask yourself: Is it worth it?

Practice safe sex. Wrap it up.

And ask your hookup if they've been tested lately because you don't want to be another statistic.