- ‘That night had been one of only two incidents when I’d not used protection and now, I was paying the price’
A woman has revealed how she felt after contracting Gonorrhoea from a man who didn’t fancy using condoms.
She revealed the man assured her he was HIV negative, but after the sexual act, she didn’t have peace of mind and upon carrying out a medical test she found out she contracted Gonorrhoea.
‘Opening the email, my heart sank,’ the unnamed woman told Metro UK’s Platform.
Exchanging sex for gonorrhea
‘I had tested positive for gonorrhoea – and I was devastated.
‘It didn’t take long for me to realise how I got it.
‘Last month, I engaged in unprotected sex with a man who claimed condoms were ‘’not for him’’.
‘When he assured me that he was HIV-negative, in the heat of the moment, I agreed to go ahead.
‘But within minutes of leaving his place, I realised my mistake and my mind started racing with fear and questions – what if I’d caught something? Was he definitely HIV-negative? When was he last tested?
‘And was he really on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), the drug often taken by HIV-negative people that reduces the risk of HIV?
‘Immediately I made my way to my closest sexual health clinic and asked for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) – a combination of HIV drugs that may stop an HIV infection after the virus has entered a person’s body.
‘The treatment must be taken within 72 hours of exposure and for a total of 28 days, or one month.’
Paying the price
PEP is not a ‘morning-after pill’ for HIV, a nurse told me, and its efficacy is not guaranteed. It is intended to be used as a last choice in an emergency – a condom failing during sex, for example.
The WHO points out that PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) will not protect you against other sexually transmitted illnesses infections (STIs).
‘You’re on PEP, you said, right?’ the nurse asked me.
‘I started to nod but then, as I thought about it properly, I realised I had missed my last two doses of PrEP – I’d run out of pills and had an appointment at a sexual health clinic later that same month.
‘I was no longer protected against HIV. That thought sent a chill down my spine.
‘Realising this was my last chance to try and prevent a possible HIV infection, I religiously took my PEP pill every morning at 8 a.m.
‘Missing one dose came with the risk of reduced efficacy.
‘After a month, I finally got my results. While thankfully I had tested negative for HIV, I was positive for gonorrhoea, a sexually transmitted disease that infects the urethra, rectum, cervix and sometimes the throat or eyes.
‘Just like that, I became part of a horrifying statistic.’
There were 82,592 UK cases of gonorrhoea in 2022 – a terrifying 50% increase on the year before.
‘That night had been one of only two incidents when I’d not used protection and now, I was paying the price.
‘My positive result for gonorrhoea really upset me as I usually make it my rule to always ‘’play safe’’.
‘I always wear a condom to protect myself against STIs – that night had been one of only two incidents when I’d not used protection and now, I was paying the price.
‘I felt so guilty.’
