What are the Chances of Getting an STD from One Unprotected Encounter?

What are the Chances of Getting an STD from One Unprotected Encounter?

Regrettable decisions are just that –– regrettable. Unfortunately, choosing to have unprotected sex with someone you don’t know very well is a decision many people come to rue. That’s because it only takes one instance of sexual contact for STD transmission to occur. But just what are the chances of getting an STD from one unprotected encounter? While there’s no definitive answer, we’ll explore several major risk factors associated with STDs here:

What are the Odds?

There are no hard-and-fast rules regarding STD transmission. In short, you can’t calculate just how risky any one sexual encounter may prove. As much as we’d all like to know down to the decimal point the odds regarding STD transmission, that’s currently impossible. For one, there are too many variables to consider with each unique scenario. In addition, scientists aren’t privy to the sort of comprehensive data they would need to determine the likelihood of STD transmission from one encounter, or how much risk increases with each subsequent encounter. After all, most people who have an STD don’t realize it–– and they certainly couldn’t say when and how they contracted it in the first place!

Other Risk Factors

The bad news is, having unprotected sex absolutely increases the odds of STD transmission. Remember, condoms aren’t 100% effective at preventing STDs, but they will significantly lower the possibility of STD transmission. Other factors to consider include the kind of STD in question, the severity of it, how long the STD has been present, your overall well-being, and whether or not you have any open sores or breaks within your skin.

Keep in mind also that just because you had sex with someone who has an STD, it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically be infected. The only way to know for sure is to get tested.

Oral Sex

The idea that oral sex “doesn’t count,” or is somehow different than “regular sex,” is a fallacious one. Simply put, having vaginal, oral, or anal sex with someone can put you at risk for picking up an STD. (Heck, you can even get an STD from kissing someone.) On the other hand, oral sex may carry a lower risk of transmission than anal or vaginal sex. The CDC recognizes that the possibility of contracting HIV in particular is lower through oral sex than vaginal or anal. Still, many STDs can be transferred through oral intercourse.