Sexual Health STDs Prevention 5 Reasons Everyone Should Get Tested for STDs By Elizabeth Boskey, PhD facebook twitter linkedin Elizabeth Boskey, PhD, MPH, CHES, is a social worker, adjunct lecturer, and expert writer in the field of sexually transmitted diseases. Learn about our editorial process Elizabeth Boskey, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Matthew Wosnitzer, MD on December 25, 2020 twitter linkedin Matthew Wosnitzer, MD, is a board-certified urologic surgeon and physician scientist. He specializes in male infertility. Learn about our Medical Review Board Matthew Wosnitzer, MD Updated on April 27, 2021 Print Most people who are sexually active need to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). That's because these diseases don't only affect people who are "high risk." They're a fact of life for many ordinary Americans — and can impact anyone who has sex. STD screening is something that everyone who is sexually active needs to think about. A lot of people have no idea how common STDs are... and how important testing is. They incorrectly assume they'd know if they were at risk of contracting an STD and would be able to tell if they had one. And many doctors do not regularly encourage their patients to get STD tested. Why does everyone need to get STD testing? 1 Because Even Virgins Can Have STDs Tetra Images - Yuri Arcurs / Brand X Picture / Getty Images Even if your partner has never had sex, they can have a disease that may be sexually transmitted. A number of STDs are spread by skin-to-skin contact without intercourse. And oral herpes may be passed by casual affection between family members—then it can be spread sexually during oral sex. A substantial fraction of people with cold sores get them during childhood without sexual contact. 2 No One Likes to Think Their Spouse Has Been Cheating People who are in committed relationships often say that they don't need STD testing because they're in mutually monogamous relationships. That is often true, but only if everyone involved in the relationship was STD-free before they got together. Sometimes people with STDs have no idea that they are infected, which can cause relationship problems when symptoms appear after a couple has been together for years... or when a female discovers she's been infected with chlamydia only after she has trouble getting pregnant. Screening before a relationship starts can let everyone involved know where they stand and help avoid unjustified accusations of cheating. 3 Because It's Never Too Late to Play Safe Some people don't bother getting tested for STDs when they've already had unprotected sex in a stable relationship. They assume that if they were going to get an STD they'd have it already. Why bother worrying about something that it's too late to prevent? It's never too late to get tested or to start having safer sex. For example, there are treatment options for couples who have mixed HIV status—when one partner is positive and the other is negative. 4 Because Worrying Is Scarier Than Knowing There's no question about it—being diagnosed with an STD isn't any fun. However, even less fun than knowing you have an STD is being afraid that you might have an STD. Many people who have avoided STD testing for years find that it's actually a relief to know for certain what is going on in their bodies. Once they know, they can do something about it. Most STDs, including HIV, are easier to treat when they're caught early. When HIV treatment is started early enough, it's even possible to achieve a functional cure. 5 Because You Respect Yourself and Your Sexual Partners Still, the best reason to get tested for STDs is that doing so helps you to have open, honest, and accurate conversations with sexual partners about your STD risk. It's important that you know your risk and STD status as you are deciding which methods you should use to have safe sex. You can't determine whether someone has a sexually transmitted infection just by looking at them or based on what they do. The only way to know what's going on is to seek out testing. The Best At-Home STD Tests Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Sexual Health Association. Oral herpes. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. STDs and infertility. Updated October 13, 2013. Avert. Symptoms and stages of HIV infection. Updated July 1, 2019.