Telling a partner that you have an STI can be a rather embarrassing conversation for some. I get that is easier said (or not said) than done. If you are making decisions to have sex, you should feel comfortable talking about STIs because, well, that comes with the territory. I can tell you firsthand that stigma is one of the biggest obstacles I see in treating HIV but also applies to STIs.Īt the end of the day, we are all adults here. Is anonymous notification sending the wrong message about STIs?ĭoes it incite and further stigma surrounding sexually transmitted diseases? I believe so. Some sites do, however, specify the particular STI(s) to which you may have been exposed. As a result, this caused him a lot of anxiety and we found it necessary to perform a comprehensive STI panel, including tests for syphilis, tri-site screening (throat, rectal, urine) for gonorrhea and chlamydia, and HIV. For example, my patient received a statement that did not specify which STI with which he may have came into contact.
Further, some of the sites send a general message indicating that you have been exposed to an STI and need to be tested but do not specify which STI. One of the concerns I have is that people could use these sites to prank others and cause unnecessary anxiety and concern, not to mention unnecessary testing and medical costs. While I was aware of such services, I had never seen a patient who had utilized this service or been on the receiving end of one of these messages.Ī simple google search revealed a long list of these types of sites. I fully support and encourage notifying your sexual partners about STI exposure, but this method led me to consider implications associated with anonymous notification.
The text was sent anonymously by one of his sexual partners through an STI notification service. I recently had a patient come into the office for STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing because he had received an anonymous text message alerting him that he may have been exposed to an STI.
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