{"id":8519,"date":"2025-01-17T18:03:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T18:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8519"},"modified":"2025-04-29T15:26:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T15:26:23","slug":"what-is-stealthing-and-how-does-it-relate-to-stis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/what-is-stealthing-and-how-does-it-relate-to-stis\/","title":{"rendered":"What is \u201cstealthing\u201d and how does it relate to STIs?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What is &quot;stealthing&quot; and how is it connected to STIs?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x6Zi9fKT4Y0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>New terms that describe age-old human behaviours seem to pop up online every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most of these terms describe largely benign behaviours, like \u201cghosting\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/what-is-snowmanning-and-how-is-it-related-to-stis\/\"><strong>snowmanning<\/strong><\/a>\u201d, some describe behaviours that are, in fact, troubling and dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStealthing\u201d is a term that comes up often when talking about new sexual encounters. Is it something you need to worry about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s find out together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-1024x518.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8521\" width=\"768\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-1024x518.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-768x388.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-1536x777.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2048x1036.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Protect yourself from the harm that STIs can bring. Secure your sexual health with Better2Know\u2019s Platinum Screen, which tests for 11 different STIs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/shop\/products\/home-testing-kits\/platinum-screen\">Get tested<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2>What is stealthing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStealthing\u201d describes when two people consent to have protected sex, but then one party doesn\u2019t put on a condom, takes it off during the sexual act, or intentionally breaks the condom so <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/can-condoms-fail-without-breaking\/\"><strong>it is likely to fail<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people who remove or damage a condom during sex may not think they\u2019re breaking the law, but they are. The act of stealthing breaches consent and can thus be considered rape in the UK. This means that someone who does it can be prosecuted. Rape can carry the same sentence as murder: life in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People might engage in stealthing for a variety of reasons, like prioritising their own personal pleasure over the wellbeing of their partner or wishing themselves or the other person to get pregnant without their partner&#8217;s knowledge or consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of why people do it, stealthing is a crime and just plain wrong. If you want to have unprotected sex with someone, it\u2019s vital to have that conversation beforehand so that both parties can agree on what will happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStealthing&#8221; can also be a problematic term to use. It&#8217;s a slang term that may minimise the damage and harm done, making it seem less serious than other forms of sexual assault and rape. Using the term may cause some people to dismiss this act as less serious than it is. But the truth is stealthing is rape, and rape, no matter how it\u2019s described, is illegal and unacceptable. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside the legal, moral, and emotional fallout of stealthing, there can also be health fallout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What are STIs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/page\/std-sti-testing\"><strong>STIs<\/strong><\/a> are infections that most people get from sex. The vast majority of STIs are transmitted between people through unprotected sexual activity \u2013 namely, unprotected vaginal sex, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/is-unprotected-anal-sex-dangerous\/\"><strong>anal sex<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/i-had-unprotected-oral-sex-should-i-get-tested\/\"><strong>oral sex<\/strong><\/a>, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/can-i-catch-an-sti-from-my-sex-toy\/\"><strong>sharing sex toys<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>STIs are transmitted when infected bodily fluids come into contact with the mucous membranes in the genitals, rectum, mouth, and eyes of someone who isn\u2019t infected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How are STIs connected to stealthing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If someone removes a condom or damages it during sex, infected bodily fluids such as vaginal secretions and semen are more likely to infect another person. This is because the barrier that separates direct contact between the genitals and the mucous membranes is compromised, making infectious contact far more likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stealthing can expose an uninfected person to all sorts of STIs, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/page\/hiv\"><strong>HIV<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/chlamydia\"><strong>Chlamydia<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/gonorrhoea\"><strong>Gonorrhoea<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/syphilis\"><strong>Syphilis<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/page\/herpes\"><strong>Herpes<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/hepatitis-b\"><strong>Hepatitis B<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/hepatitis-c\"><strong>Hepatitis C<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/trichomonas\"><strong>Trichomonas<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/mycoplasma\"><strong>Mycoplasma<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/std-sti-testing\/ureaplasma\"><strong>Ureaplasma<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While condoms don\u2019t provide guaranteed protection against STI transmission, removing a condom or damaging it during sex makes transmission of such infections far more likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What are the other risks of stealthing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with the risks of being exposed to STIs, stealthing can also result in unwanted pregnancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Stealthing is a serious crime. If you suspect that you have been a victim of stealthing, you may want to report this crime to the police and get in touch with services that deal with sexual violence, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/rapecrisis.org.uk\/\"><strong>Rape Crisis England and Wales<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk\/\"><strong>Rape Crisis Scotland<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/rapecrisisni.org.uk\/\"><strong>Rape Crisis Northern Ireland<\/strong><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You may also want to seek support from friends and family during this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you think you may have been exposed to an STI through stealthing, it\u2019s important to get tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Better2Know provides a wide variety of sexual health screens that provide quick, confidential test results, giving you a full view of your sexual health and clarity about what next steps you should take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call the number at the top of this page to speak to one of our trained and compassionate Sexual Health Advisors. They can talk you through your situation and help you come up with a clear plan of action to protect your sexual health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also click the button below to secure an appointment at a sexual health clinic near you. All our appointments are handled by trained clinic staff who will respect your privacy. You can also schedule your appointment anonymously under a different name, if you need to. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2-1024x518.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8523\" width=\"768\" height=\"389\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2-1024x518.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2-768x388.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2-1536x777.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/what-is-stealthing-2-2048x1036.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Don\u2019t leave your sexual health to chance. Book an STI test at a sexual health clinic near you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/clinics\/book-online\/choose-clinic\">Get tested<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- Simple Share Buttons Adder (8.1.2) simplesharebuttons.com --><div class=\"ssba-classic-2 ssba ssbp-wrap left ssbp--theme-1\"><div style=\"text-align:left\"><span class=\"ssba-share-text\">Share this...<\/span><br\/><a data-site=\"\" class=\"ssba_facebook_share\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519\"  target=\"_blank\" ><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/facebook.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Share on Facebook\" \/><div title=\"Facebook\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Facebook<\/div><\/a><a data-site='pinterest' class='ssba_pinterest_share' href='javascript:void((function()%7Bvar%20e=document.createElement(&apos;script&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;type&apos;,&apos;text\/javascript&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;charset&apos;,&apos;UTF-8&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;src&apos;,&apos;\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinmarklet.js?r=&apos;+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)%7D)());'><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/pinterest.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Pin on Pinterest\" \/><div title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Pinterest<\/div><\/a><a data-site=\"\" class=\"ssba_twitter_share\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519&amp;text=What%20is%20%E2%80%9Cstealthing%E2%80%9D%20and%20how%20does%20it%20relate%20to%20STIs%3F%20\"  target=&quot;_blank&quot; ><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/twitter.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Tweet about this on Twitter\" \/><div title=\"Twitter\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Twitter<\/div><\/a><a data-site=\"linkedin\" class=\"ssba_linkedin_share ssba_share_link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519\"  target=&quot;_blank&quot; ><img src=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-share-buttons-adder\/buttons\/somacro\/linkedin.png\" style=\"width: 35px;\" title=\"LinkedIn\" class=\"ssba ssba-img\" alt=\"Share on LinkedIn\" \/><div title=\"Linkedin\" class=\"ssbp-text\">Linkedin<\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This article has been medically reviewed by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/page\/dr-steve-chapman\">Dr. Steve Chapman<\/a><\/strong>, 29\/04\/2025.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New terms that describe age-old human behaviours seem to pop up online every day. While most of these terms describe largely benign behaviours, like \u201cghosting\u201d and \u201csnowmanning\u201d, some describe behaviours that are, in fact, troubling and dangerous. \u201cStealthing\u201d is a term that comes up often when talking about new sexual encounters. Is it something you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":""},"categories":[1269,20,2606],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[1094,989,3134,568,655,637,570,563,961,752,705],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8519"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8643,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8519\/revisions\/8643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8519"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.better2know.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}