When someone in a committed relationship gets an STD or sexually transmitted disease the common assumption would be that one or both of them are having sex with other people. But this isn’t always the case.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Boskey in an article published on Very Well, STDs in marriage can be traced to prior infection and not just merely infidelity.
The first step would be to get tested. Look up the possible clinic or institutions that conduct STD testing in your city or neighborhood and book an appointment. Make sure your partner knows you plan on undergoing tests, so they can know if they need to be tested, too.
With the help of tests, you can determine exactly when you were infected and by whom. It’s also important to note that it can take years for symptoms to appear once you get infected.
For instance, a person may have been contracted herpes through sex and has been infected for years, but symptoms surfaced once they decided to be monogamous. In some cases, women with pelvic inflammatory disease may have been priorly infected with chlamydia and gonorrhea without knowing it because they weren’t screened.
photo: dreamstime
Choosing safe sex in committed relationships
Just because you’ve promised to have one sex partner for the rest of your life, some couples believe safe sex is still a good idea, even in marriage. Not only are birth control methods like condoms a means of contraception, it can also help with disease protection.
It may be shocking to find out you or your partner has an STD when you’ve vowed to stay true to one another. But it’s important not to jump into conclusions and keep an open mind.
If your gut instinct is telling you that your partner has been unfaithful, it’s best to talk to them about it. This is where trust and understanding comes in. Loving your spouse often means embracing their past mistakes.
sources: VeryWell.com, The STD project, Focus on The Family
READ: Oral sex is spreading a nasty strain of unstoppable bacteria