You may know that gonorrhea is a prevalent STI (sexually transmitted infection), and that it’s routinely tested for. Nobody wants to get an STI, but it can happen if you have unprotected sex. The only thing that you can hope for is that treatment is available.

I recently read an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) about an antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea that was reported earlier this year. According to the article, a clinic in Toronto, Canada reported that 9 patients who were treated with the standard antibiotics used to treat gonorrhea had a positive test result (for gonorrhea) when they came for a repeat test 2-4 weeks later. Researchers feel that this may indicate that the standard treatment may no longer be effective in some cases. The article also cautions that the participants in the study may have become re-infected before they returned to the clinic for their follow-up visit. Regardless, I find this to be extremely scary.

It’s important to take precautions to avoid getting an STI to begin with. I’m sure that you’ve heard that abstinence is the only way to be 100% protected against sexually transmitted infection. However if you’re sexually active, this may not be realistic for you. Therefore, the only other way to stay protected is to use condoms every time you have sex.

I understand that a lot of you may feel that because you’re in a monogamous relationship it’s okay not to use protection… but how can you be totally sure that your partner isn’t having sex with anyone else? I believe that loyalty to yourself and your health should always be stronger than the loyalty towards your partner. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so use condoms every time you have sex.

I know that you don’t want to get an STI and I know that you definitely don’t want to get one if there’s no cure. So the next time you think about having unprotected sex, think about the possibility of getting the strain of gonorrhea that may be resistant to treatment.

-Erica