It all started as a bait-and-switch meme, according to CNN. In this case, people were shown a picture of an actual blue waffle (the breakfast food) with the text, “bet you can’t find me on google image search,” per the website Know Your Meme. Upon searching the image, those curious enough to Google it got a graphic image of a blue, diseased-looking (a.k.a., a waffle-like texture) vagina. And chaos—primarily among teens who don’t know jack about STDs to begin with–ensued.
So wait…blue waffle disease is totally fake, right?
Yes, it’s 100 percent fake.“Blue waffle STD is not a genuine STD because there is no infectious process that would result in the vagina turning blue,” says Dalia Davood, M.D., an ob-gyn at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. “In my years of practice and study, I have seen no documented medical literature where anything of this nature has occurred.”
Planned Parenthood even stepped in to clear things up in 2012: “Blue waffle is totally, completely, 100 percent urban legend. It doesn’t exist,” the organization wrote on a blog post.
PP even cleared up some of the other symptoms—blue waffle was also thought to cause unusual or smelly discharge, along with itching or burning—saying that, while those symptoms can be connected to a condition called vaginitis (essentially, an irritation of the vagina), the whole “your vagina will turn blue” portion is completely false.
Unfortunately, blue waffle disease picked up steam again in 2013—this time thanks to New Jersey councilwoman Kathy McBride who stated during a Trenton city council meeting that she thought it was a real problem city health officials had to deal with, according to NJ.com.
“It’s already claimed 85 lives and there’s a case here in Trenton,” she declared, citing that a concerned citizen gave her information. “It is a virus that is 10 times greater at this point than the AIDS virus.” Kathy was acting with the best of intentions—but the “concerned citizen” actually turned out to be an April Fool’s prankster.
But one more time for the people in the back: The blue waffle STD isn’t a thing. It wasn’t real in 2010 or in 2013—and in 2018, it’s still nothing to worry about. In fact, rather than worry about a disease that turns genitals a different color, the STDs any sexually active person should be aware of often have no symptoms at all, says Rebecca Kolp, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Okay, so the blue waffle STD is totally false—what STDs should I watch out for then?
Oh, you know, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), herpes, human papilloma virus (HPV, which can cause genital warts as well as cervical/vaginal and vulvar cancers in women), gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.
“Some of the most serious diseases have no immediate outward signs,” says Kolp. “HPV can cause genital warts, which you can see externally. Herpes often causes a painful open sore on the outside of the vagina, and gonorrhea and chlamydia may be accompanied by a vaginal discharge,” he says. As for syphilis, initially the STD has no signs, but over time, women can develop a painless ulceration of the vagina or vulva.
If the blue waffle STD has taught you anything, though, it’s to seek out medical advice if you have any concerns at all about your sexual health, even if you can’t quite put your finger on what’s wrong.
“If you notice dramatic changes in the appearance of your genitalia, feel you may have been exposed to an STD, or have any symptoms—such as pain, discharge, burning or itching, to name just a few—schedule an appointment with your physician to get further evaluation and determine the cause,” advises Davood.
And if you read anything warning you about the dangers of the blue waffle STD—today, tomorrow or in 10 years’ time—it’s total BS. I promise, your vagina will never turn blue and waffle-like.
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