Make Health My Homepage
More Ways to Get Health!
gift newsletter igoogle healthyvoice
Journey: Safer Sex

How to Protect Yourself From STDs When Your Partner May Be Cheating


If you're worried that your partner is cheating on you, it might make sense for you to bring condoms back into the bedroom in order to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

But reintroducing condoms can be a sticky situation unless both of you are completely upfront about what's going on. "I don't think its possible to bring up condoms unless you discuss your concerns or suspicions of infidelity," says Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, a psychologist specializing in HIV at New York University.

Share Your Thoughts

Do you think your partner is cheating and risking your health?
Halkitis suggests discussing the rules of the relationship—because they might have to change. "It's incredibly important for partners in a relationship to have conversations on a ongoing basis and reexamine the rules of the relationship," he says.

Among the topics to tackle:
• Are you and your partner allowed to sleep with other people?
• What does each partner consider acceptable sexual behavior?
• If you can't reach total agreement on these two issues, should condoms be used?
Lead writer: Nick Burns
Last Updated: May 03, 2008

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining


Text Size: Decrease Increase

Advertisement