(10 May 2002)

French women are more likely than men to tell their current partner if they have a sexually transmitted infection (STI).[1]

Among French adults, 14% of men had not told their current partner they had an STI, compared with only 2% of women. This finding applied regardless of the type of infection, the individual’s age or their number of partners.

Among French teenagers, more than half the boys (51%) had not talked about their STI to their current partner compared with just 9% of girls.

Neither sex was keen to contact former partners – most of the individuals in the study had not told anyone other than their main or current partner that they had an infection.

Telling your partner if you have any kind of STI is important, because without notification, your partner is unlikely to get tested or treated. The French study also showed that males were far more likely than females to be diagnosed with an STI as a result of partner notification.

Speaking exclusively to the IHA newsdesk, study author Dr Josiane Warszawski said: ‘I think that the reasons of gender difference for notification, whatever the kind of STI – or maybe according to the kind of STI – must be deeply studied to improve notification.

’Women who are told that they had sexual relations with a partner who has genital herpes should be more aware of the risk and should have a better medical examination concerning herpes screening when they become pregnant.’

For help on how to tell a partner, see Herpes and Relationships: How to Tell
For information on genital herpes and pregnancy, see Herpes Simplex and Pregnancy

1. Warszawski J, Meyer L. Sex difference in partner notification: results from three population-based surveys in France. Sex Transm Infect 2002;78:45–49