What Is “Blue Waffle”?
Blue waffle – sometimes called blue waffles disease or waffle blue disease – is a made-up STI (sexually transmitted infection). Nothing you see about it online is real, including images of people who supposedly have it.
How Did the Blue Waffle Myth Start?
This hoax started many years ago, when someone posted an online image of a bright blue vulva (the outside of a vagina). According to the anonymous poster, it was due to an STI that only affects women and has no cure. People started calling it “blue waffle disease” since “waffle” is a slang term for vagina.
Fictitious Blue Waffle Symptoms
Besides a bright blue vulva, other supposed symptoms of this made-up disease include:
- Itching
- Burning
- Discharge
- Strange or strong vaginal odor
“Blue waffle” isn’t real — no known health condition can turn your genitals blue. But symptoms like these can signal that you have another issue going on down there. For instance, you could have vaginitis. This is a common vaginal inflammation that’s highly treatable. Or you could have a real STI: These symptoms may be signs of gonorrhea, chlamydia, or trichomoniasis.
What to Do If You Think You Have an STD
Many doctors now use the term “STI” instead of “STD” (sexually transmitted disease.) It’s more accurate and has less of a stigma. But there’s no difference between the two terms.
STIs are extremely common. More than 25 million cases happen in the U.S. every year.
If you think you have an STI, see your doctor right away. They can order tests. If your result comes back positive, the test can also tell you which kind of STI you have.
STIs won’t go away on their own. Some, like chlamydia and gonorrhea, can be cleared up completely with antibiotics. Other STIs, like herpes and HIV, can’t be cured. They’ll stay in your body, but you can manage them with antiviral medication. This can ease your symptoms and keep you from passing the STI on to your sex partners.
When you’re diagnosed, you’ll need to tell anyone you’ve had sex with for at least the past three months. This can feel really hard. But it’s important for your partners to get tested and, if they’re positive, start treatment, too. Your doctor can help you figure out what to say.
If left untreated, STIs can cause other health issues. If you’re pregnant, they can also harm the health of your baby.
Takeaways
“Blue waffle” is an example of an online hoax that’s been tricking people online for many years. It involves a made-up sexually transmitted infection, or STI, that is said to have no cure and affects women.
While it isn’t real, the story is a good reminder of the need to carefully read health or medical information you see, especially online. Stories that are shocking or surprising tend to be the ones that spread quickly and can be hard to disprove. Check up on what you read by looking for unbiased, trusted sources that have up-to-date information.
If you think you have an STI, see your doctor. They can test you and prescribe a treatment that helps.
Blue Waffle FAQs
How does medical misinformation spread?
Studies show that false claims spread faster online than the truth does. This may be because fake news is more entertaining or because it causes a bigger emotional reaction, like fear, disgust, or surprise. Either way, it makes you more likely to share fake news with others.
Social media makes it hard to fight misinformation. Once you “like” a false claim or watch a video, you’re more likely to see more of them in your feed. You won’t see posts or videos that debunk them or show you a proven, scientific point of view.
Where can I go to find legitimate medical information?
Use a trusted scientific source. Websites that end in .com are businesses. A lot of the time, they’re trying to sell you something, whether it’s a product or their services. When you’re looking up medical information, look for a website that ends in:
- .gov, which means it’s a government website
- .edu, which belongs to a university or school
- .org, which are for nonprofit organizations
Trusted information will include:
- Up-to-date information
- Expert advice (for instance, it comes from an MD, PhD, RN, or someone who is an expert in their field)
- A source list, like the names of scientific papers that back up their claim
- A medical review, which means the information was checked by other experts
How can I fact check medical information?
To check a claim on your own:
Separate facts from opinions. We’re exposed to so much data every day that it’s easy to lose sight of the difference.
- A fact is something that you can confirm or prove false with outside evidence. For instance, “A car has four wheels.”
- An opinion can’t be proven true or false because it depends on someone’s personal beliefs. (“All new cars are too big.”)
Compare the information. Don’t take social media’s word for it. Search for the claim at two or more scientific websites. Is there scientific evidence to back it up?
Talk to your doctor. Bring up questions and concerns you have with your doctor. If you don’t understand their answer, you can say, “Can you explain that a different way?” You can also ask for handouts that contain more information or websites where you can learn more.
