Are STDs prevalent in your swinging experience?

[njbm 2,868]

I have a theory that HPV and HSV are rampant among the general population and more so among swingers. Unfortunately, condoms are not that protective against those viruses. 
 

However, among conventional heterosexual swingers, it is my theory that traditional venereal diseases like gonorhea, chlamydia, syphillis and HIV are somewhat unusual. Am I naive? Off base?

[Billygoat 443]

In over 25 years in the lifestyle we have only experienced on couple that we knew (new to our group) that contracted but did not affect anyone in our circle a STD.

 

They (she) contracted this while participating in their mutual kink of stranger dogging.  Public sexual favors with random (often multiple) strangers at bars etc.  At one point they included cash for sexual favors.  Why I do not know.  They frequented bars/lounges mostly at hotels, restaurants, beach/lake areas.  And the embarrassment of dealing with health officials and not being able to provide names of those that they might of contaminated. 

 

They joined our group and attended a couple of parties but when I was told (by them) of their situation and how they believe they contracted the STD I told them they could not continue to attend our gatherings.  They understood and I appreciated their coming forward and honesty.  They both had it, medical attention and eventually cleared (so they expected). They both kind of lost their train of thought in the excitement of the activity they both enjoyed.  It got very out of hand/control.  The act of adding money to their activity excited them but also spun them out of control (my opinion).  We lost contact with them so not sure 

 

We notified those that were at both of the two gatherings that they attended but the couple stated they did not play with anyone just between themselves in the open room.  And those attending that I contacted confirmed they had no contact.  It put a dark cloud of concern in our group for a couple of months but everything went back to normal shortly after.

 

generally speaking the lifestyle (aside of HPV) has always been a cautious activity with transition of sexual diseases kept at a very low/no experience.  Our experience with others personally and within group/party attendees has been more of a reaction to various condoms, toys, lubes, fluids etc reaction in the form of rash, chemical imbalance (vaginal) etc from mostly newbies that didn’t know they would react to that material.  And this was very few and far between.

 

HPV is something that is fairly common with humans and can and has been contracted in couples regardless of their sexual activities in strictly monogamous exclusive couples. 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[AdamGunn2 393]

We consistently used condoms, even when it would have been so nice not to. We never caught anything, even though we were quite active.

 

Part of our dynamic was stag/vixen hotwife scenarios. We quickly came to the belief that many guys would tell less than the truth about their health. The less clean they were in their general appearance, and the more they bragged about being clean, the less chance they had with us.

Edited November 22, 2023 by AdamGunn2

[GoldCoCouple 4,065]

In our experience, swingers are MUCH MORE conscious and careful in regards to STD's. They are open to actually talking about them and most of the people we have run across get regularly tested. It seems that the average person thinks that they are invulnerable to STD's and don't bother to even get checked.

[ExploringOptions 185]

This topic was a big concern for us because our understanding is most swingers have multiple partners and most don’t use condoms. Our first partners were new as we were too making us think no prior STDs. We realize herpes could be sleeping dormant. After we became closer friends we brought the subject up with them and how to discuss with future partners. Don’t know how to start that discussion in the future, think people lie. 
I checked others posts about getting checked and telling doctors. We use a GP that is young and we feel we should tell him and be tested if we are going to be active. 

[njbm 2,868]

Early in our career, we got a phone call from a man my wife played with at a house party to tell us he and his wife contracted HSV2 and we should be tested. The male has worn a condom in every encounter we have had, but that is when we learned the HSV and HPV are not necessarily thwarted by condoms. We tested negative, went forward. 

[KatrinaandDriverX 101]

This ftom my dear friend and sex partner, Susan.

 

A few years ago I had to write one of those infernal college papers where they give you a topic. So, even though it was a communications class, somehow I got the transmittance of non-lethal STD's. Now, I was a chemistry student, well versed in the scientific method and a total researching data hound. What I love about research is when it tells you what you were not expecting. In this case:

 

If you had ten people with a non-lethal STD, two people gave it to the other eight people. Over 70 percent of the time, these two people, typically men,  knew they were infected and were contagious to others. This population were non using condoms and their 'culture' promoted not using condoms as sort of a 'right of passage' to be more masculine. As a scientist, I looked at this and pretty much went,"Holy Shit ?!"

 

Now here is some 'arm chair' research for you. Autism levels appeared to begin increasing around 1963.  Now, this could be to awareness, or it could be due to Western lifestyle, in some fashion. Also, in 1963, the birth control pill became available. Sex definitely increased, or as a friend of mine's grandmother explained, 'With the Pill, everyone was fucking everyone else". Now, let's review the quiet STD, which is HPV. Modern research is finding a link between HPV mothers and children with rare, but formidable ocular area brain lesions. These can be repaired. The link is difficult to determine because the numbers are small and the syndrome is rare. Yet, what if the primary , yet also rare outcomes, is not ocular lesions, but autism ?  The research is just starting, yet I've got a feeling....

 

An increase in Western population sexual activity, transmitting a 'quiet' STD that can affect, very limitedly , an outcome of Autism, as it has an effect on fetal brain development. The research will answer this eventually. We may well find that the father, infected the mother, who gave birth to children with these types of brain development concerns. Unfortunately , people with little medical or scientific understanding, linked it to vaccinations, which was a red herring. 

 

-------------------------------------

 

Now, back to me: Katrina. I like what I do sexually and I'm pretty smart about things. I have sex with positive people in very positive environments. I follow a structure that works for me. If I ever contracted something, whether it meant temporary or permanent suspension of my sexual exploits, well, that's how it goes. I would feel absolutely terrible if I ever infected someone with anything. Ever. 

 

[njbm 2,868]

Very interesting speculation. Have you read any credible scientific literature that ties HPV infection to autism? I do believe that HPV rates must be plummeting with the availability of a vaccine for many years. 

Edited November 23, 2023 by njbm

[KatrinaandDriverX 101]

There are ties to juvenile brain legions. One can see it’s a short step to the dynamics being able to induce autism. Yet, the research isn’t there yet. No ones really doing much at this point. Perhaps in the future, they may. 

[starswingers 24]

We have been on the scene for 10 years and get tested every 3 months. We have always been negative and take our sexual health seriously. In all our time swinging we have used condoms at every meet. Obviously oral is unprotected but we see that as far less risky. 

 

I think vanilla people having one night stands are more likely to get infected. Every vanilla friend I have never gets tested for an std even when active with multiple partners.

[KatrinaandDriverX 101]

So glad you get tested regularly. We do too.  Nothing is perfect, simply part of being a grownup.

 

Years ago, two friends in college contracted Herpes.  I remember because they thought my roommate, a biochemistry major, could diagnose them. They declined and said they needed a doctor. Both cases, it was the first person they had sex with and it was a committed dating relationship. I've always been a fan of testing (including myself) or sex in a testing encouraged (expected) environment.

[njbm 2,868]

Keep in mind that there is no test for HPV for males. Except if you get genital warts, you just tested positive. That strain or strains are not the ones that cause cervical cancer. 
 

Despite all the anti-vax sentiment, if I had to do it over, I would have received the 3 series HPV vaccines before starting swinging. I am sure many younger swingers are vaccinated. 
 

If you are over 45 and non-monogamous, some doctors and some Planned Parenthoods will vaccinate if you assert the need for it due to non-monogamous sexual activity. Look into it. HPV infections usually go away, but some progress towards cervical cancer and require surgical procedures. With regular checkups, few progress to cancer. 

 

P.S. HPV and HSV are spread from skin to skin contact. Condoms do not reliably prevent the spread of these infections. 

Edited November 23, 2023 by njbm

[enhancer 1,584]

The only time in my life a have had a STD is when I was young a long time gf I had cheated on me and gave me Chlamydia!  I would rather get a STD in a situation where I am aware of the risk than in a situation where I am trusting in someone and being betrayed.  I would think that STD’s are more likely to occur in cheating relationships then in the swinging community due to the dishonest nature of the person cheating.

[njbm 2,868]

We know quite a few women who underwent recurrent procedures, then finally a hysterectomy to treat persistent HPV infections. 

[Numex 2,409]

On 11/21/2023 at 9:26 PM, njbm said:

Are STDs prevalent in your swinging experience?

No.

[GoldCoCouple 4,065]

Quote

This topic was a big concern for us because our understanding is most swingers have multiple partners and most don’t use condoms.

Not true...we keep to a very small group and always use condoms.

[Seekingadvice 0]

So my wife and have always been curious about the lifestyle but we both have HSV2. We have no intention of being dishonest with people but our concern is that it would be more of a headache then a pleasurable experience. Seeking real advice. 

[njbm 2,868]

3 hours ago, Seekingadvice said:

So my wife and have always been curious about the lifestyle but we both have HSV2. We have no intention of being dishonest with people but our concern is that it would be more of a headache then a pleasurable experience. Seeking real advice. 

I think that you should disclose HSV2 in your profile if you seek partners from an online site like SLS or SDC. I suspect that other HSV2 people will play with you. People who have told us they have HSV2 and/or HPV play. A lot. No one has ever told us before playing that they have HPV. But we later heard about their various procedures to get rid of it. We find a lot of swingers are woefully uninformed about HSV and HPV. We thought condoms were protective against them. Not so much.