Who do you tell?
You should tell your past and current partners:
- Past partners should be told because they may have the infection and be passing it on to other people. Telling your partner is not only important for their health but for the health of the entire community.
- Current partners should be told because being infected with an STI can damage their health. Even if you have been treated for the STI, you can be reinfected by your partners if they do not get treated too.
Telling current partners can be really tough if you were infected by someone other than your main partner. It’s possible that you got the STI before you started your current relationship with your main partner. If not - well, now is the time to have a difficult conversation.
Why let your partners know?
Letting your past and current partners know protects their health.
Having an untreated STI can have long term consequences for their health. Without treatment, your partners could pass on the infection to others.
Remember, most people will be very grateful when you let them know.
Too hard to let them know?
If you can't tell your partner face to face, you can send them a text message or email.