What is the risk of an STI?

Sex without a condom can cause you to contract an STD. It is not at all strange if you forget a condom once in the heat of the moment. You also don't immediately think of all the possible consequences during sex because you are in the moment. But afterward, these questions can arise. How likely is it that you have contracted an STD? We try to list some things for you.

What are the most common STDs?

In Nederland zijn de meest voorkomende SOA’s Chlamydia en Gonorroe. In 2022 werden zo’n 25.000 diagnoses Chlamydia gesteld. Voor Gonorroe waren dat er zo’n 11.000. Gonorroe is de meest voorkomende SOA onder mannen die seks hebben met mannen, maar neemt ook fors toe onder heteroseksuele, jonge vrouwen.

What are the odds of me catching Chlamydia or Gonorrhoea?

We now know how common Chlamydia and Gonorrhea were in 2022 in the Netherlands. But what are the chances, now, of contracting one of these STDs during one time of unsafe sex?

For women, for each time you have unsafe sex with an infected partner, you have a 45% chance of contracting Chlamydia and an 80% chance of contracting Gonorrhea.
For men, for each time you have unsafe sex with an infected partner, you have a 28% chance of contracting Chlamydia and a 77% chance of contracting Gonorrhea.

The risk of contracting an STD after having unprotected sex with an infected partner is different for men and women because women have a larger mucous membrane surface in the vagina and are therefore more susceptible to this STD.

What are the chances of me getting HIV?

Iedereen is bang voor HIV, wat veel mensen niet weten is dat de kans op HIV bij éénmalig vaginaal contact helemaal niet zo groot is. De kans op HIV die mannen lopen per keer onveilig vaginaal contact met een besmette partner is 0.014%, voor vrouwen is dit 0.2%.

In case of anal contact, the chance of transmission is slightly higher, this has to do with the fact that the anus is more easily damaged during sex and that small blood vessels can develop, which increases the chance of transmission.

For anal sex, the risk of HIV per time of unsafe sexual contact is 0.06-0.2% (top) and 0.1-3% (bottom).

A few important things to know is that HIV can also be prevented during unsafe sex by taking a PrEP or PEP course. These are drugs that protect you from an HIV infection. Read more about PrEP.

What are the chances that I have contracted syphilis?

Syfilis is een SOA die in meerdere fases verloopt. In elke fase is de kans op overdracht anders. De meest besmettelijke fase, is de eerste fase. In deze fase heeft een groot gedeelte van de mensen een zweertje op de plek waar hij/zij/hen is besmet. Dit kan in de mond/vagina/anus zijn of op de penis. Wanneer je in contact komt met zo’n zweertje, is de kans op overdracht zo’n 30% voor zowel mannen als vrouwen.

When the ulcer goes away again, usually on its own, a person may remain contagious.

Better safe than sorry!

Hopefully we were able to reassure you a bit with our numbers and words above. The chance of getting an STD after one time of unprotected sex is not extremely high, but it does exist. And nobody knows how big the chance is that you are just that person. It is therefore important, when you are in the possibility with your sex partner, to talk about protected sex. To be able to use a condom in the heat of the moment, which ensures that you both don't regret things afterwards.

This makes the pleasure before, during and after sex the greatest for everyone.

If you did have unsafe sex, always get tested for an STD. OneDayClinic tests for all STDs and offers direct treatment when necessary. We also offer a test in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Eindhoven that can give a definitive result within 90 minutes. This test is just as reliable as a laboratory test!

Schedule an appointment for an anonymous test online immediately.