Sexual partners are not just the individuals with whom you have had sexual intercourse, but also the individuals with whom your partner has had intercourse.

Thus, indirect sexual partners can contribute to your risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Assessing the number of your indirect sexual partners can provide insight into your risk of STIs.

What Are Indirect Sexual Partners?

Indirect sexual partners are those individuals with whom you have not had sexual intercourse, but with whom your sexual partners have been sexually active.

For instance, if your sexual partner has previously had intercourse with person A, then person A is considered to be an indirect sexual partner.

Calculating Your Number of Indirect Sexual Partners

The number of indirect sexual partners that you have had is determined by the number of sexual partners that your partners have had. Essentially, the more partners that your partners have had, the greater your risk of indirect STI transmission.

To begin calculating your number of indirect sexual partners, you will need to consider the sexual activities of your sexual partners.

Who was sexually active with whom? Keep in mind that oral, vaginal, and anal sex are all sexual activities that can lead to STI transmission.

Once you have a good understanding of the sexual activities within your sexual network, you can begin estimating the number of indirect sexual partners that you have had. A simple formula for approximating the number of indirect sexual partners is:.

Number of indirect sexual partners= (Number of partners of your partner A + Number of partners of your partner B + ….) – Number of partners you have had.

This formula indicates that you can assume that anyone that your partner has been with sexually has had sexual relation with anyone that your partner has had sex with.

But then to get the total number of your indirect partners, you subtract the number of direct sexual partners you’ve had, since you don’t need to count them twice.

Why Is Estimating the Number of Indirect Sexual Partners Important?

Estimating the number of your indirect sexual partners is significant for numerous reasons, including:.

Assessing your risk of STIs: If you have had many indirect sexual partners, this can increase your risk of STI transmission.
Informing your sexual health decisions: Knowing your level of risk can help you make informed choices about condom use and sexual behaviour.
Encouraging communication with sexual partners: Discussions about sexual history can be challenging, but disclosing your risk level can encourage open communication with your sexual partners.

Reducing Your Risk of STIs

While estimating the number of indirect sexual partners can be useful for assessing your risk of STIs, using condoms during sexual activity is the most effective method to prevent STI transmission.

Get regular STI tests and encourage your sexual partners to do the same.

The Result

Based on the formula provided above, you can estimate the number of indirect sexual partners you have had. Use the following template:.

Number of indirect sexual partners= (Number of partners of your partner A + Number of partners of your partner B + ….) – Number of partners you have had.

For instance, assume that you have had intercourse with three partners. Partner A had sex with four people, partner B was sexually active with three people, and partner C had intercourse with five people. Apply the formula:.

Number of indirect sexual partners= (4+3+5)-3 =9.

This estimation of nine indirect sexual partners suggests that your risk of STI transmission from indirect partners is higher than if you had few if any indirect partners.

Conclusion

While estimating the number of indirect sexual partners can be a challenging task, this can be useful for assessing your risk of STIs.

Using this formula, you can get an idea of how many individuals that your sexual partners have been with sexually and minimize your risk by consistently using condoms and getting regular STI screening.