Infidelity has the chance to ruin your relationship, and things can get even worse if you get a sexually transmitted disease during a sexual encounter and then pass it to your spouse or partner. If you've had sexual relations with someone outside of your relationship and now you're noticing signs that are consistent with a sexually transmitted disease, you need to take a conscientious approach to dealing with this uncomfortable situation. You might feel tempted to ignore the problem and hope that it goes away, but this is a poor idea. Here are some steps that you can take.

Seek Treatment Immediately

The symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease can get worse if you ignore them, which means that if you're keeping this situation to yourself for now, doing so in the longer term might not be possible. As soon as you believe that you might have an STD — perhaps you've done some research online about your symptoms and are left with this likely conclusion — you need to visit a health professional to get STD treatment. Generally, a prescription for antibiotics will clear up your symptoms and discomfort in a relatively short amount of time.

Avoid Sexual Contact

Until your sexually transmitted disease is cleared up, you should absolutely avoid sexual contact with your significant other. Talk to your healthcare professional during your appointment to determine how long you'll need to wait. Giving your spouse or partner an STD that you picked up from a different sexual encounter is a monumental breach of trust and shows a lack of care for this person's health. Use whatever means are necessary to avoid sexual encounters until the time is right. For example, even if you have to imply that you're not feeling well, doing so is in everyone's best interest.

Share The Truth

Although some people cheat on their significant others and never relay this information, this approach can leave you feeling a high degree of guilt. It's often better to come clean, both about the infidelity and about your sexually transmitted disease. You may need to take some time to decide how you'll approach this topic, and you may even wish to see a therapist right away for help with how to bring up this news to your significant other. Make sure that you tell your spouse or partner that you haven't had sexual relations with him or her since you believe you contracted the STD, as this might be a small amount of comfort during this difficult time.