How To Tell Your Partner About Your STD

How To Tell Your Partner About Your STD

Nikki and Craig have all along been friends since childhood, and amid their friendship, they decided to date. Though their love was all about sharing personal secretes, Craig was always afraid of breaking the news of his STD status. When he finally gathered the strength to do it, it was a sigh of relief for both of them since Nikki also said that she was struggling to summon the courage to tell Craig she had the same STD.

Getting Tested Is Important

Though STDs can affect the body, and take a toll on one’s emotions, most have cures. STDs, also known as sexually transmitted infections, STIs, that are not curable are treatable. This means that with the right treatment, anyone living with these STDs can have a normal healthy life without symptoms. Though the symptoms will be eliminated by the treatment, it does not mean that the person cannot spread the infection to others.

In most cases, STDs become a big issue because a great number of infected people do not show any symptoms. Most of these infections will not go away on their own and will need treatment. This is why it is important to get tested before a new sexual relationship or if you have never been tested before.

Why It’s Important To Tell Your Partner About Your STD

If you get tested and your test results come back positive, there are important steps you can follow when informing others. The first step involves informing your past, present, and future sexual partner. It is normal to have fear and worry, but these actions are all geared towards protecting your partner.

Here Are Other Reasons

•             In some states, it might be a criminal offense not telling your  partner that you have an STD.
             
•             If not treated early enough, and properly, some STDs might cause  fertility problems later.
             
•             Some of the STDs carry life-threatening complications if not caught and treated early.
             
•             If you get treated for a curable infection while your partner is  not, you will get reinfected.      
             
•             Informing a future sexual partner about your STD gives them a chance to take the right precautions including getting tested.
             
•             Informing a past or present sexual partner about your STD gives them a chance to get tested and treated if they are infected.

  How To Tell A New Sexual Partner About Your STD

  Being nervous is normal especially when you are telling a new partner that you have an STD. The following are ideas you can use when doing it:

  Put Yourself In Their Shoes: Try to imagine what you would expect someone to tell you if you were in their shoes. You should be proud of the steps you are about to take. The will to disclose this personal information is a sign that you care about their health and your relationship. People are more likely to trust an honest and brave person in matters related to STDs.

  Go Straight To The Point: Tell your partner that you would like to talk about STDs and the best way to protect yourselves. Talk about the STD you have and be open about answering questions. You however do not have to give every detail about past relationships.

  Honesty Is Key: Most people worry about rumors that follow the disclosure. However, it is better to let your partner know that you have an STD than them finding out they are infected. If you show enough respect to disclose this personal information, it is highly likely that they will reciprocate the respect.

  Let Everything Flow Naturally: People have different reactions to the same thing. Do not keep talking. Let them take in the news and allow them to ask questions. Some people might also require some time to think things through.

  Do Not Push For Instant Decisions: It is normal to have an urge for acceptance after disclosing such information. However, it is crucial to allow your partner time to digest the information. Tell them you know they need time to think about it. This shows you are in control and have self-confidence.

  Let Your Partner Ask Questions: Give your partner space to ask questions. You might also encourage them to ask any questions and be ready with the answers. You can have an article or booklet as your backup for some of the complex questions.

  If, after the conversation, you decide not to engage in sexual intercourse, you can have other ways to express your love for each other. If you do decide to engage in sexual intercourse, make sure you understand all the safe methods involving that particular STD.

  How To Inform A Current Partner About Your STD

  There are a lot of emotions involved in a positive STD test when in a relationship. You might start questioning your partner’s fidelity. It is important to understand that some STDs might not have immediate symptoms before starting the blame game. This means that you or your partner might have got infected before you started dating. The most important thing here is for both of you to get immediate medical care.

  Once you find out about the STD, inform your partner as soon as you can. If the STD is curable, you will both need to be treated at the same time to prevent the back and forth infections. If you have incurable infections such as herpes, or HIV, you will need to take the treatments as prescribed.

  If you think the infection might have lasted for a while, inform past partners because they also need to get tested.

  No matter how awkward telling your partner about your STD sounds, it is the right thing to do for both your health’s sake. It is also very important to talk to a professional in sexually transmitted infections.
  
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