Why the coronavirus lockdown is an opportunity to improve sexual health

Why the coronavirus lockdown is an opportunity to improve sexual health

There’s been an unexpected twist associated with the COVID-19 lockdown few of us saw coming: The lockdown rules have resulted in fewer of us having sex with new people and therefore, the rate of passing on sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) has dropped.

Calling it a ‘game-changer,’ Dr. John McSorley, a sexual health doctor and president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV stated that now is the time to test and treat everyone for a STI infection.

Once the lockdown was instituted in Britain, the ability to move around freely was cut off.  This also meant the ability to meet and mingle with new sexual partners was cut off creating this once-in-a-lifetime event providing an opportunity to get as many people tested and treated who are at risk for STIs.

Since the coronavirus lockdown, more than half of the United Kingdom’s (UK) sexual health services have closed down. What is being urged by Dr. McSorley is to have people take at-home STI tests at this time to prevent people with infections from spreading them when the lockdown lifts.

Since the time of when the lockdown was first mandated, leading health authorities have also been urging people to practice abstinence by avoiding sex with strangers or acquaintances.

HIV could be impacted the most

Passing on HIV has the best chance of being avoided during the lockdown. That’s because someone infected with HIV is more likely to pass it on when first discovered, when the virus will be at its highest level in the body.

If a person takes a test for HIV and is found positive during lockdown, this means they will less likely be having sex with others during this infectious period, which in turn, means less chance of spreading the HIV virus to others.  It also means if found to be infected with HIV, they can be started on treatment right away to help them become non-infectious, again, preventing passing it on to someone else.

Here’s our chance to reduce cases of syphilis too

In the United States, sexually transmitted diseases have been rising for the past five years in a row with syphilis leading the pack.  From 2017 to 2018, the number of syphilis cases increased 14 percent to more than 35,000 which is the highest number reported since 1991.

Syphilis is a contagious STI caused by bacteria that can cause serious complications. Spread by having direct contact with a syphilis sore (also called a chancre), during vaginal, anal, or oral sex, the painless sores can appear around the penis, vagina, and anus. Anyone who is sexually active can contract syphilis.

That’s why with a pandemic lockdown, now is the time for to be tested and treated at home for STIs such as syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and others.

When syphilis is caught in its earliest stages, it can be treated with an injection of long-lasting Benzathine penicillin, however any damage that’s already been done cannot be repaired.

Sex into the future

For those without significant others, being in a lockdown has been tough, sexually. As states have begun lifting a slow return to normalcy, it also means a return to finding compatible romances with the right person.

However this time, I recommend going slow in any return to sex. Review steps on avoiding STIs such as using a condom and getting tested before having sex with any new partner.  The more careful and fastidious you are about who you sleep with, the greater your chance of remaining free of contracting a STI.

Sexually transmitted infections are no joke and have serious consequences affecting men and women such as infertility and also increased congenital infections in newborn babies.

To keep yourself and others from STIs, go slow, practice safe sex, and be choosy in your bedroom partners. And if you have symptoms of a STI or believe you may have been infected during the lockdown, call your healthcare provider for their advice on getting tested and treated.

Dr. David Samadi is the Director of Men’s Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. He’s a renowned and highly successful board certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy.  Visit Dr. Samadi’s websites at robotic oncology and prostate cancer 911.