How to Tell Your Partner You Have an STD ...

If you are a sexually active individual who has had a healthy number of partners, then it’s fairly likely that you have had experience of or at least a false alarm brush with sexually transmitted diseases. Thankfully, the majority of sexually transmitted infections are completely curable these days, but for those unlucky enough to contract something like herpes, the disease will remain and become a constant feature of your romantic life. Permanent conditions like this don’t have to spell the end of your sexual experience, but you do have a duty to be open with new partners about your situation. Here is how to tell your partner you have an STD.

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Get to the Point

An STD really isn’t the kind of revelation that you can afford to be subtle and elusive about. The quicker you are honest about your situation with your partner, the quicker you can both decide how to move forward. The chances are that your partner will have had a similar scare scenario of their own before, so hopefully there will be a degree of understanding.

Be Honest

If the infection you have is one that isn’t curable, then you owe it to your partner to tell them this. Things like herpes and HPV will obviously inspire more serious conversations than things like chlamydia or gonorrhoea, but you have no right to keep somebody that you are having sexual contact with in the dark about something that is so potentially serious for them.

Don’t Get Defensive

The worst attitude to take is one of defensiveness and standoffishness. STIs happen, more often than we all would like, but directing anger toward your partner for something that they aren’t remotely responsible for is never going to be the right thing to do. You need to be calm and honest and answer all and any questions that they might have related to your news.

Don’t Be Defeatist

Revealing your status as an STD carrier doesn’t always have to spark the end of a relationship. The earlier you tell your partner about your situation, the more time they have to consider things. There are plenty of ways to engage in physical intimacy without transferring your infection to your partner. The important thing is to be as open as possible and that way you can figure out a future together.

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Tell them you have HPV? Over 95% of sexuality active adults have/have had one or more strains. If you have warts tell them. Otherwise it is a universal risk of being sexually active.

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