I had sex with eight guys and caught an STI… and now I’m terrified I’ve given it to my boyfriend

Dear Deidre

I HAD sex with eight guys while on holiday with my girlfriends and have caught an STI.

I’m terrified I might have given it to my boyfriend.

I am 20 and have been with my lovely boyfriend for almost two years.

He is 22.

I went on a girls’ holiday to Crete a month ago.

There were six of us sharing an apartment.

We were out on the town every evening and met a bunch of lads who we all got on well with.

We spent most of the holiday with them, sunbathed and partied together, going round the bars and clubs in the evening.

When one of the guys came on to me the first evening, I was having such a good time I hardly gave my boyfriend a second thought.

I danced the night away with this guy then went back to his apartment.

The sex was awesome.

I did feel guilty the next day but it soon wore off.

The same thing happened the rest of the holiday.

By the time we were ready to go home, I’d had sex with eight different men.

I started to worry when I developed symptoms.

I saw my GP who referred me to a clinic.

They confirmed I had an STI and said I should tell anyone I’d had sexual contact with so they could have treatment too.

That was impossible because I mostly knew these guys only by their first names.

I haven’t been in touch with any of them since I returned home.

I’ve had sex with my boyfriend so there is a risk he could be infected too.

I don’t know how to tell him.

I regret everything that happened.

I love my boyfriend so much.

I’m sure he will go mad and won’t forgive me.

I don’t want him to leave me because I gave him an STI.

DEIDRE SAYS: You took terrible chances with your sexual health and physical safety having sex with all those virtual strangers on holiday.

Holiday hotspots are often hotbeds of sexual infection.

You likely caught the infection from one of these men but there is just a chance you caught it from your boyfriend – some sexual infections lie dormant or symptomless for a while.

You must tell your boyfriend about the infection so he can get treated.

Explain you had no idea you were infected when you had sex with him on your return.

He may react badly but he deserves to know.

It may cause the break-up of your relationship but that is a risk you have to take.

This is not a secret you can safely keep.

If you don’t care enough to be faithful, maybe you shouldn’t be with him at all.

Whatever you decide, it is a lesson that staying faithful and using protection make sense.

Credits: THE Sun 

Deidre Sanders