Te oranga me te STI
Living with an STI
There are lots of ways you can look after your symptoms, circumstances, and relationships to make living with an STI (sexually transmissible infection) easier.
Living a healthy life – with an STI
Most STIs (sexually transmissible infections) are curable, and all are manageable with treatment and care.
Am I the only one?
Statistics show that more than half of us will get an STI at some point in our lives. In Aotearoa New Zealand, they’re most common in people aged under 25 years, but you can get an STI at any age.
STIs affect people of all genders and can be spread through all types of sexual contact.
What will people think?
Getting an STI is not unusual, but talking about it openly can be difficult. Research has found that most New Zealanders find it awkward to talk about sexual health.
You might feel like people will judge you or think differently about you because you’ve tested positive for an STI. Dealing with the stigma (people’s negative attitudes) about STIs can seem like a bigger deal than dealing with the STI itself.
It’s important to remember that STIs are common and can happen to anyone who’s sexually active. Testing positive for an STI doesn’t put you in a certain category or change who you are as a person.
We have some useful advice on how to tell people – including your sexual partners or contacts.
How do I take care of myself?
Getting treatment
If you’ve been prescribed medication to treat an STI, it’s important you consistently take all the treatment. It might help to set a reminder or an alarm on your phone so that you remember to take the dose until it’s finished.
If you’ve had symptoms, they might go away before you’ve finished your treatment. Don’t stop the treatment early just because your symptoms have gone away. It’s important to take the full treatment to keep yourself healthy.
Check the instructions your doctor or treatment provider has given you. Many STIs are treated with antibiotics and it can be important to avoid alcohol to make sure the treatment works effectively.
Other medications that are used to treat STIs include special ointments or creams – or antiretrovirals for HIV. Some STIs, like mpox or genital warts, can get better over time without treatment.
Keeping yourself comfortable
For some STIs, like genital herpes, there are other things you can do at home to make yourself comfortable when you’re experiencing symptoms such as itchiness or pain. You can find out more on each STI page.
Getting support
It’s important to reach out for support if you need it. This could be from your friends or whānau, or from organisations that provide support for people living with an STI.
Can I still have sex?
If you have an STI, anyone you have unprotected sex with could also be at risk of getting the STI. This includes while you’re getting treatment for an STI.
Having safer sex, where you use condoms or oral dams, can protect you – and your partners or sexual contacts. This makes it less likely that you give the STI to someone else. HIV PrEP, HIV PEP, and doxy-PEP are also useful ways to prevent some STIs.
People living with HIV who are on treatment and who have an undetectable viral load for at least six months can’t pass on HIV through sex.
Who can help me?
If you’re struggling with complicated feelings, it can be helpful to get in touch with local organisations that provide specific support for people living with an STI.
Where do I start?
You can have an STI even if you don’t have any symptoms and you feel just the same as usual. So it can come as a surprise to learn that you have an STI. We've listed the first steps to take when you find out you’ve tested positive.