Member-only story
I am Struggling with Balancing Sexual Experiences with STI Risk
As a non monogamous woman with multiple partners, can I even be safe?
Every three to four months my anxiety peaks for about a week as I wait for my Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) results. As a non monogamous woman with multiple partners my STI risk is likely higher than when I was in a monogamous, long-term relationship with my husband like I was in only three years ago.
Before I go on, I want to be clear that this post is not in any way shape or form coming from a purity lens. I am not shaming anyone, myself included, for having sex with anyone. The decision to have sex with one or many people is entirely a personal decision. But, like all things in life, decisions comes with consequences. In my case, I have decided to sleep with many men and accept that the consequence of this decision is that I need to be more aware and careful of STIs.
Back to my story….
Before being non monogamous, my husband and I had literally never given any thought to STIs. We had been together for over twenty years and were reasonably sure that our risk of contracting any STIs were about as high as catching HIV from a toilet seat (you can’t, FYI).
