How to Have the STI Talk

It's not the number of people your new flame has been with, it’s what they may have picked up on the way to this relationship. What you want to know is:

Gonorreha, Chlamydia (GC/CT), HIV, Herpes (HSV), Hepititis, Human papilomavirus (HPV)

GC/CT can be done with urine. HIV, Hep are blood tests. Hpv is run off a pap.

Unfortunatetly, there is not a reliable test for HPV in males. Much of the information about HPV virus (human papillomavirus) centers on women, since having the virus increases their risk of getting cervical cancer. But HPV virus in men can cause health problems, like genital warts. So, you can ask have you ever been in a relationship with someone who had HPV? Or have you had sex without a condom with someone who had a surgery on their cervix.

More than half of men who are sexually active in the U.S. will have HPV at some time in their life. Often, men will clear the virus on their own, with no health problems.

I think an easier way to start this conversation is to give a printed copy of your results to your amore before an intimate encounter. Something like; “I may be way off base here but, I just thought i would get this out there. You can check it out and let me know how you feel.” Hopefully, you are not off base and this will signal to them to reciprocate.

You can request an STI screen from your healthcare provider and give the report to your partner as a way to start the conversation.

1.You want to know

2.If they don’t want to know, do you want to get what they don’t know they have?