Honesty & STDs

[Winston&Julia]

I have not tried swinging yet one of the reasons is I don't want a disease! So my question is how many people would you say tell the truth about their health? I knew of a couple that was swinging and the husband had hepitatis and did not tell people! That is disturbing to me that you are putting people at risk and don't even care
Thanks
Julia

[funcpl4life]

That seems to be a really distorted view of swinging and swingers to me.

Accept risk only at a level which you are comfortable with.

Mr. FC4L

[Winston&Julia]

I didn't mean to say "you" as if all swingers do that. I know there is good and bad in everything. I just want to know what you run across more as this is a fear of mine. I also hate lying!

[graygo98]

Educate yourself as to the true risks (incidence and seriousness of potential diseases, protective strategies, etc.) Be aware that unless you live in a bubble you very likely already have been exposed to some of the more common ones (HSV1 and maybe HSV2, one or several of the strains of HPV for example). Take whatever steps you are comfortable with to mitigate these risks. If that is not possible because you are totally risk averse then don't go ahead with swinging.

And its nice that you don't like lying, but I don't understand the connection to your question.

[Winston&Julia]

And its nice that you don't like lying, but I don't understand the connection to your question.

I am really not good communcating via computer. Anyhow the connection is my concern about people not being honest about their health like that guy I knew, or for the most part are people pretty concerned about protecting others. I don't want to hurt anyone I just want to have fun and am trying to get a feel for the attitude toward health and how important it is to most folks. I'm not averse to risks, I just want to know as much information as I can before I jump into anything.

Thanks for your understanding reply. I'm just kind of a worrywart by nature, but once I get familiar with something then I'm fine. My husband is helping me with this too (with both the writing and my concerns).

[Chicup]

Swingers are no more honest or dishonest than the general public.

Yes some have STD's and lie about it, just like the public would at large.

No you can never be 100% safe and sure. Hell even getting tested isn't always enough or reliable.

So if you want to swing there will be some risk.

[Winston&Julia]

WOW! Straightforward & to the point I like it! Thank You!

[JustAskJulie]

Originally Posted by Chicup

Swingers are no more honest or dishonest than the general public.

Yes some have STD's and lie about it, just like the public would at large.

No you can never be 100% safe and sure. Hell even getting tested isn't always enough or reliable.

So if you want to swing there will be some risk.

Exactly. And just as in the general population a large percentage of swingers have STDs and don't even know it.

I think the best policy when it comes to swinging/ sex is to assume everyone has something and understand your risk and protect yourself. THere are various ways to do this. The first would obvioulsy be protection (as in condoms, etc) but the best is to take the time to get to know the people you swing with and know that you feel comfortable with who they are.

[Spoomonkey]

Originally Posted by Winston&Julia

I knew of a couple that was swinging and the husband had hepitatis and did not tell people!

That is pretty crappy...

But - as much as we would like to trust our playmates, we still get tested and will quit the second one of us is positive for anything. Certainly, we hope that our precautions and intuition is right - but the risk is there.

When we were getting tested, we were honest about our lifestyle. The doctor simply told us that we were obviously doing the right things to be as careful as possible and to keep doing those things. We do - but we know that the risk is certainly real.

But - there is risk of disease no matter what you do really - from going outside into the sun to eating the red M&Ms. And I'd rather die having lived.

Spoomonkey

[DGrey]

Do you know which strain of Hepatitis this person had? Hep C is rarely transmitted by sex and its normal transmission method is blood to blood contact. A & B can be sexually transmitted but for C to be transmitted sexually is very rare. Nonetheless, even if it was C, he should have mentioned that.

Chicup said it best, there is always some risk when you swing. The only thing you can do is arm yourself with knowledge and a whole lotta condoms.

E

[gatorvol64]

Originally Posted by Chicup

Swingers are no more honest or dishonest than the general public.

Yes some have STD's and lie about it, just like the public would at large.

No you can never be 100% safe and sure. Hell even getting tested isn't always enough or reliable.

So if you want to swing there will be some risk.

Originally Posted by Spoomonkey

But - there is risk of disease no matter what you do really - from going outside into the sun to eating the red M&Ms. And I'd rather die having lived.

Very well said, gentlemen.

You have to decide what you are comfortable with.

Vol

[daisy girl]

I think that honesty is important in not just swinging, but in life as well. I am a hypochondriac. NO...really a true hypochondriac so I know about being obsessive about diseases, dirt, germs, etc.

I really enjoy swinging and have had to really think about the risks associated with it. You have to think about the pros and cons and make the decision that is right for you.

On another note. I am going to be 35 soon and was recently looking at the morbidity rate for non smoking women 35-40 who take oral contraceptives. The relative risk of death increases significantly after age 35. So, I have to weight the risks and benefits of oral contraceptive use for myself. This process is similar to the one employed when thinking about the risks associated with swinging. Hope this makes sense!!

[Winston&Julia]

I'm not sure what kind of hepatitis the guy had. He was married to a friend of mine and he treated her pretty bad, although I must say both of them had issues to put it mildly. He was a real creep and she was pretty irresponsible. Unfortunately they were the first swingers I ever knew personally, and didn't leave a very good first impression. This is probably one big reason why I have hesitated so much to act on any of my fantasies, not wanting to end up like them.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and opinions. You all seem like decent folks to me and make me feel more comfortable!

[HappyPeople]

We do not have any STDs and since I am a microbiologist, I feel comfortable gauging our risk factors during play. While there is always a risk, we take the path of the lowest risks possible.

If we did have an incurable STD, we would be honest about it and advertise for partners that had the same STD.

[Winston&Julia]

Well if a microbiologist is swinging and safe I am sure we will be fine to! Thanks!