My mother is a schemer.

Don’t be fooled; my college education was not funded by a pyramid buy-in or get-rich-quick plan, but rather by the hard work of my parents.

She really just rigs family events.

My mother always hides the last piece of the puzzle, and I do not mean that in the figurative sense. At the majority of our family and friend gatherings, we hunker down over a 1,000-piece puzzle and spend the weekend finishing it. Without fail, she will hide the last piece and put it in only after the rest of the puzzle is complete. She does so to receive credit for “finishing the puzzle.” To be honest, it’s adorable because I know it’s coming, but it can prove frustrating for anyone hoping to see the full picture.

About six months ago, a friend got me thinking about the value of the full picture while discussing her sex life. During our conversation, she revealed that she rounds down her “number” to her doctor, much like I harmlessly do with my weight on my license.

The difference: one is public and frequently inspected by cute bartenders, while the other is confidential and determinant of physical health.

I began to wonder, how many devious people like my friend and mother are there in the world? More specifically, how many people are intentionally misleading and in turn, hiding the ‘full picture’ from their doctor?

This week, I relied on an informal poll on The Daily Evergreen’s website to answer my question.  

Much to my dismay, my friend was not alone. Nearly 50 percent of respondents admitted to lying to their doctor about sex at some point for various reasons. Among them, approximately 29 percent said they lied because they were afraid of being judged, about 17 percent said they didn’t feel the information was pertinent to their visit, and nearly 4 percent said they genuinely didn’t recall the information or understand the question at the time.

To the 29 percent that lied out of shame, I feel sorry for you. I mean that genuinely. You didn’t lie for personal reasons; you lied with culture in mind. You lied because from day one you were taught that sexual expression was dirty and unnatural, when it is actually the complete opposite.

The social constructions surrounding sex in this country are enough to make anyone with a decent understanding of the human body want to gouge their eyes out.

Notice I specified “this county.”

Dr. Dennis Garcia, medical director of WSU Health and Wellness Services, explained that the same isn’t true for the multicultural students he works with.

“It’s hard for me to not compare our students to Europeans,” Garcia said.  

In his experience, European students at WSU are more open and forthcoming about issues of their sexual health, he said.

“A European woman will come in with a lump in her breast and want to get it taken care of right away, whereas American women will wait,” he said.

Garcia explained that it boils down to a difference in mindset. The religious right in this country has made its way from politics into the examination room. Students are reluctant to disclose details of their sexual health, and often wait until their problem becomes urgent to seek care.

Garcia stressed that having incomplete information can lead to an incomplete or inaccurate diagnosis and ultimately, result in an inaccurate treatment. This extends to oral and anal sex as well, which students often forget to mention when asked about their sex life.

However, oral and anal intercourse should be addressed as well.  

“If they leave that out, we don’t know to culture the throat,” he said.

Many people are unaware that STIs can be transmitted vaginally, orally, and anally. For example, Gonorrhea can live in throat and is often mistaken for strep throat because the two conditions exhibit similar symptoms.

While short-term symptoms are a hassle for the time being, it’s important to know that if left untreated, these diseases pose long-term harm to your body.

Ultimately, Dr. Garcia advises students to consider their private parts just as they would the rest of their body. They are just as much a part of your health, he said.

To all 50 percent of my poll respondents that lied, help your doctor piece together the beautiful puzzle that is your body. Don’t do it for me or for them. In the words of L’Oreal, do it “because you’re worth it.”