Look to Partner for STD Risk

You must have sex with someone who has an STD to get an STD. That’s the main idea behind a new study by University of Florida researchers.

It may seem like a simple idea, but when health care providers ask about your sexual history, perhaps they should ask about your partner’s sexual practices too. According to Stephanie Staras, the lead author of the study, if you choose a high-risk partner, you’re much more likely to have an STD, even accounting for condom-use patterns. The study authors urge doctors to take into account partner behavior when considering testing for STDs.

Researchers measured five specific characteristics to determine risky partners: whether the partner has a problem with marijuana or alcohol, was at least five years older or younger, had been in jail, had sex with other people in the past year or had an STD in the past year.

Findings: Young adults with partners who had five or more risk characteristics were three times more likely to have an STD than those whose partners had no more than two characteristics. The study was published in the April issue of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

An interesting finding from the study: Study participants with partners five years older or younger than them were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with an STD than those whose partners were around the same age.

I’m not sure what age difference has to do with it, but simple communication can go a long way. This study is more proof that young adults shouldn’t shy away from asking their partners about their sexual history.

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