Do STDs transmit everytime I have sexual intercourse?

Doctor's Answers 2

Any form of sexual activity with anyone, regardless of gender or type of sexual encounter, carries a chance of passing on a STD.

If you think you have a STD, you should abstain from sexual relations and get yourself treated.
Even if STD is not transmitted every time you have sex, they can be transmitted any time you have sex.

Photo of Dr Mark Lim Weixiang
Dr Mark Lim Weixiang

Aesthetic, General Practitioner

There is a chance of transmitting STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) with each unprotected encounter. The risks of transmission vary with type of disease, type of intercourse as well as ongoing treatment.

To name a few:

  • Genital herpes - this is most infectious when lesions (red bumps, blisters) are present but patients can still be shedding the virus and pass to their partners when asymptomatic.

  • HIV - The chance of transmission from penile-vaginal intercourse from an infected source is 8 in 10,000 (1). Factors that may increase the risk of transmission include acute or late stage HIV infection or high viral load. Anti-retroviral treatment, Pre-exposure prophylaxis and male circumcision are factors that reduce the risk.

Therefore, the most effective way to prevent STD transmission is to avoid casual sex and patients engaging in high risk sexual behavior should use protection and get themselves regularly tested for STD

References:

  • Patel P, Borkowf CB, Brooks JT. Et al. Estimating per-act HIV transmission risk: a systematic review. AIDS. 2014. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000298.

Similar Questions

What are the risks of receiving unprotected oral sex?

With unprotected oral sex, there is a risk of transmission of STDs, particularly for infections like gonorrhoea and herpes simplex virus (HSV). The throat can harbour the bacteria that causes gonorrhoea and this can spread through unprotected oral sex. For HSV infection, the risk of spread is highest if the person has a history of cold sores and has active blisters or ulcers. The risk of spread is significantly less in the absence of active lesions. Viral warts or HPV infection can spread through oral sex too.

Photo of Dr Colin Theng

Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

Can HIV tests be considered conclusive if they show negative results?

Thank you for the question. For HIV test, there is a window period, which is the period between the time of exposure to the time the test is able to detect the infection. For 4th generation HIV test, the window peroid is 4 weeks and for 3rd generation HIV test, it is 3 months. So with your 2 tests at 1 and 3 months negative, it is highly unlikely that you have caught an HIV infection. In recent HIV infection, the presentation can be very non specific, like any viral infection. However, years later, it can present with recurrent infections or unusual infections due to reduced immunity.

Photo of Dr Colin Theng

Answered By

Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

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