The truth is, when STI awareness is based on symptoms alone, most people with a sexually transmitted infection don’t even know that they are sick. It is not uncommon for someone living with an STI to have no STI symptoms. In other words, they are asymptomatic.
Asymptomatic STIs are more common than not. There is a very high prevalence of symptom-free sexually transmitted infections. People can be, and often are, living with an STI for many years without knowing it. During that time, if they’re not careful, they can transmit the infection to some or all of their sex partners.
Some scientists call STIs the hidden epidemic. They’re common. They’re invisible. Finally, they can have serious long-term health consequences—including infertility and even (rarely) death. Why is it important to be aware of how common it is for people to have an asymptomatic STI?
If one person with an STI has condomless sex with a new partner each year, and each of them has condomless sex with one new partner a year, and these partners each did the same, in 10 years, the first person could have transmitted an STI to over 1,000 people.
If each person has sex with two new partners a year, that number goes up to more than 59,000.
Many other STIs can also lie dormant for months or years. No wonder that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are around 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. each year.
It’s very easy to have an STI and not know about it. That’s why safer sex should be the rule rather than the exception.
If you aren’t comfortable having your regular doctor examine you, testing can also be done at a family planning or STI clinic. Many clinics even have free, or highly subsidized, tests for people with limited incomes.
But even if your tests come back negative, the best way to keep them that way is to consistently practice safer sex. After all, it can take a while for STI tests to be accurate. In addition, sometimes people have multiple sexual partners, which means there are multiple potential routes for exposure.
Herpes, for example, is transmissible even when a person isn’t having an outbreak. So are HPV, the virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer, and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Since these infections can’t be cured it is important for people who have them to take precautions with all their sexual partners. With treatment, these infections aren’t usually physically devastating. However, they can take a strong emotional toll.
For example, people with herpes should consider taking a drug such as Valtrex. This form of treatment doesn’t only reduce the likelihood of an outbreak, it also lowers the probability of transmitting the virus to your partner. However, since it does not remove the risk of transmission completely, it is important to always use safer sex practices.
Know that external and internal condoms are not 100% effective at preventing herpes or HPV. That’s because these viruses are transmitted skin to skin. Treatment as prevention is also a good way to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV.
Just remember that you can’t rely on how you feel to tell you if you’re well. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to get tested and treated if you could possibly be at risk. Not just your health, but also the health of those you love, is in your hands.
People who are sexually active with more than one partner should be tested for STIs regularly. Couples who are monogamous should be tested at the start of a new relationship before having unprotected intercourse.
