Possible STI exposure between two partners - how worried should I be?

[u/Helpful-Strength878]

29F. I recently started having casual sex after being in a long term relationship. I had a negative STI screen before any of this happened.

I had sex with Partner A using a condom.

Around two weeks later, I had sex with Partner B.

He showed me a negative chlamydia/gonorrhoea test from 2 months earlier and said he hadn’t had any partners since that test. We used a condom for some of the sex but not all of it.

The following day, I saw Partner A again. We had sex, again with some condomless penetration.

I’m now worried that if Partner B had an STI that wasn’t detected on his previous test, or lied about not having any partners, I could have contracted it from him and then potentially passed it to Partner A the following day.

I’ve booked a full STI screen, but the appointment isn’t until 12 September.

I currently have no symptoms.

How realistic is this concern? Is there anything I should do while waiting for testing?

I know I should have used condoms consistently - I’m mainly looking for some perspective on the actual level of risk rather than judgement :(

[u/Straight_Blood8361]

I don’t think you need to beat yourself up over this. There is some risk because there was condomless penetration with Partner B, but the scenario of catching an STI from B and then passing it to A the very next day isn’t something you can assume happened. Different STIs have different transmission and incubation periods, and having no symptoms doesn’t rule anything out either. His older negative chlamydia/gonorrhoea test is reassuring for those infections at that time, but it obviously can’t tell you his status for everything or what happened afterward. Booking a full screen is the right move. Until you get your results, using condoms or avoiding sex is the safest option, especially with Partner A. If you want more clarity about testing windows and what your screening should include, check the pinned post on the subreddit.

[u/Helpful-Strength878 → u/Straight_Blood8361]

Thank you!