Sex and Disease

[PacificBlue]

Questions...Questions...Questions

1. Does the prevalence of so many sexually transmitted diseases deter you from wanting to have sex?

2. Do you require that all potential partners be tested for STD's and HIV? Do you require proof of testing?

3. Do you ask about past sexual history before becoming intimate...if yes, how do you approach this topic?

 

[curvacious]

1---doesn't deter me so much as it makes me want to know my partner's history and make sure that I have tests with every annual exam, just to put my mind at ease.

2---am in between partners. I think I would like for my next partner and I to have our HIV tests done at the same time. The other tests---do on our own. I would hope that I would feel that my partner is honest enough with that I wouldn't require proof, that I could trust what they say. I definetly think it's important to both be tested for any STIs.

3--I would ask my next partner about their history. I would want to know if they've ever had an STI, and when they were last tested. Bringing it up may be a little weird. I think you just have to do though. I might bring it up by talking about a joke, an ad on TV (ie for condoms), or just blurting it out (but way before things head toward sexual). Another way is to ask your partner how many sexual parnters they've had---then you can keep going on the same path to get your questions answered.



I'm going to be completly honest---I've had trouble in the past about making sure that a new partner was clean (ie--jumped into bed too soon), but I'm working on making changes. The above are what I plan on doing and they may or may not work for everyone.

 

[Guest]

bump.

 

[stargazer76]

As for question 2, I think if you can't trust the person you're with to be honest with you about something so important as STD's and sexual history, you shouldn't be sleeping with him....

When my now-husband and I were dating, we had several talks about his history (one of his exes was a drug abuser and often sold her body for drugs) because I was very concerned. But because he was honest with me and forthright about his past, I didn't feel like I needed to demand proof of testing.

 

[bluntforcemama]

1. Does the prevalence of so many sexually transmitted diseases deter you from wanting to have sex?

No, but I've only had one partner so far. I'll be careful when I love again.

2. Do you require that all potential partners be tested for STD's and HIV? Do you require proof of testing?

No, but I've thought about it. I don't think I would take a lover that I didn't trust, but I plan on being very careful.

3. Do you ask about past sexual history before becoming intimate...if yes, how do you approach this topic?

Most of the time, I know a lot about people's sexual history anyway, but if I felt I didn't know enough, I would ask, outright. But I'm quite inexperienced in this all, because I've had only one partner. I've found somene that I would like to share myself with, and we've discussed certain issues about birth control and the amount of trust involved.

 

[cymbidia]

1. Does the prevalence of so many sexually transmitted diseases deter you from wanting to have sex?

No. I've been very careful, for many years, about who i have sex with. My sexual practices haven't changed appreciably since the advent of so many widespread STD's.

2. Do you require that all potential partners be tested for STD's and HIV? Do you require proof of testing?

I ask it of most, yes. I don't ask for proof, just an affirmation that it was done. These days, since i don't jump into bed impulsively with anyone and always engage in a fairly lengthy period of talk and growing-closer before anything sexual occurs, i put a lot of value in trust and my instincts about the other person.

3. Do you ask about past sexual history before becoming intimate...if yes, how do you approach this topic?

Always. It's the topic of discussion several to many times before any real intimacy occurs. And i just ask. Plainly. I ask about numbers of partners, whether the other person has ever had any STD's, what kind of disease prevention they engage in.