Everyone’s now talking about their excitement around heading to university this September, and yep, it’s probably going to be some of the best years of your life.

Buuut there’s a few things you’ll gain throughout the first year you attend, and one of them, for 1 in 4 of you, will be an STI. Well, according to a recent study by Freah Student Living anyway.

We all talk about the financial struggle of every day student life, the ridiculous weight gain you make from a living off of a Wetherspoon’s diet, and the amount of awkward sex you’ll have.

But no one really talks about the icky side of it. And by icky, we mean diseases. Like, sexual ones. Which actually aren’t that icky TBH, just an unnecessary by-product of having unsafe sex.

So, let’s talk about it. Fresh Student Living conducted a study in which 25% of participants said they contracted an STI during their first year at University. That’s a quarter of them. And like we said above, 1 in 4.

And this could be due to the stats that The Student Room producedthat showed 63% of students have had unprotected sex, and 15% of under 25s have admitted to having unsafe sex since arriving at university last September.

Not practicing safe sex can have a real impact on your long-term health. Certain STIs can be harmful, especially if you don’t show up symptoms.

Even STIs such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhoea, which are seen as ‘easy-to-rid’ by many young people, can leave lasting problems. For example, in men, Gonorrhoea can leave you infertile if left untreated.

So how do you avoid falling victim to statistics? The answer is all about knowing the facts and putting your sexual health first. The contraceptive pill, coil and implant might stop you getting pregnant but the only contraceptive that protects you from STIs is a condom.

If you're engaging in sexual activity with someone who might have had sex with another person since their last clean STI test, use a condom. That includes for any type of sex be it anal, penis in vagina or for blow jobs. If you're having vagina or anus based oral then get yourself a supply of oral barriers (dental dams).

It might feel awkward to talk to your partner(s) about using contraceptives but if you can't do it then maybe it's worth questioning whether you should be having sex in the first place.

'Watch the very wise Courtney Act talk about safer sex >>>'

- Words by Jordan Platt. @jordandplatt