I was briefly broken up with my boyfriend, and I contracted an STD in the “off” time. What to do?

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Pulling a Ross and screaming, “We were on a break!” is probably not the best way to handle it.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Get yourself treated immediately, if you haven’t already.
2. Be honest and tell your boyfriend about the STD. He has a right to know.
3. Talk about honesty with him. It’s a good time to build on the relationship you’ve both returned to.
4. Encourage him to get tested and treated if need be.
5. Use condoms until your infection is gone AND until he has been tested.

The other thing you should do is inform your past sexual partners of your STD so they can be tested and treated. It may be an awkward conversation to have, but he/she deserves the truth.

You can’t always tell someone has an STD/STI by looking at them. That’s why it’s important to use a condom with every new partner, and to get tested regularly.

While sexually transmitted infections are inconvenient, they are not the end of the world—many STDs are curable and ALL are treatable. Get tested, get treated, talk to your partner, and you’ll get through this.

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