How we write our guides
Last updated November 1, 2026
Bud’s guides are free, plain answers to the questions gay and bi men search for about sex and sexual health. This page explains where the facts come from and how we keep them right.
Where the facts come from
- Public health guidance first. Guides follow the CDC’s current guidance, including its STI Treatment Guidelines and its PrEP, PEP and doxyPEP recommendations. Where the CDC is silent, we use the WHO, FDA labels, state health departments and peer-reviewed studies.
- Every claim has a source. We name the source in the sentence (“The CDC says…”), put a note under every table and chart, and list the sources at the end of each guide.
- No numbers from memory. Doses, window periods, costs and effectiveness figures are copied from the source and linked.
Who writes and checks them
- Guides are drafted by the Bud team with the help of AI writing tools, then checked line by line against the sources before they’re published.
- No clinician has reviewed our guides yet. Each health guide says so near the top. If a doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist reviews a guide, their name and credentials appear on it as “Medically reviewed by”. We never add that line unless a review actually happened.
- Each health guide shows the date its sources were last checked. We recheck guides when the CDC or FDA changes its guidance and at least once a year.
What we don’t do
- We don’t give personal medical advice. Guides are general information. For your own health, talk to a doctor or clinic. See our health disclaimer.
- We don’t claim the Bud app prevents, treats or diagnoses anything. It’s a journal.
- We don’t let money decide what we recommend. Free and covered options come before paid ones. Any affiliate link is labeled, and links to public health resources never are. See our affiliate disclosure.
- We don’t shame anyone for the sex they have. Guides describe how each choice works and leave the choice to you.
Corrections
Found a mistake or an out-of-date fact? Email help@getbud.app with the guide and what’s wrong. We check every report against the source and fix confirmed errors quickly. When a fix changes the guidance, the guide’s “Updated” date changes too.