Is the risk of getting an STD more because of HRT ?

1. Sexually Transmitted Infections can be difficult to handle but does taking HRT increase our chances of getting an STI? Dr Camiel Welling explains.
   How does STI happen?
   The risk of STI comes from how you have sex and with whom you are having sex. And if the kind of sex you are having is changing because you have started liking different things then the risk for STI increases.
   I am a transwoman. Should I be worried about STI?
   If you have started your HRT as a trans woman or a trans feminine person then there is not a lot of risk for STI. If a sexual partner and sexual activity doesn’t change then there is not a lot of reason to worry because the penis skin doesn’t change much. The only issue is that the erection will not be hard. If you reduce penetration then the chances of getting a STI also reduces. Even if you are doing anal sex then there is not a lot of worry because not a lot changes there as well. And oral sex is also okay because oral mucosa doesn’t change much. So all of this depends on the type of sex you are having. And for those people who are taking feminizing hormones then not much changes. But there is obviously an issue with the society. Who you are having sex with will put you at risk of an STI. A lot of trans women report that they are being sexualised and fetishized. They are also victims of sexual harassment, verbal harassment as well as physical harassment. If you are forced to have sex you could get a STI. And in these conditions, it is hard for us to make decisions.
   Are trans men more prone to STIs?

For trans men who are taking testosterone, our mucosa changes and it increases during sex. But for trans women and trans-feminine people, the mucosa doesn’t change. It is just the society that becomes harsher.
Why is it so important to talk about sex?
This is why it’s so important to talk about sex because a lot of us are in vulnerable positions where hormones are expensive and you are dependent on other people to accept you and it makes you vulnerable to taking decisions that are not good for you. So you ignore your safety and might get into unsafe relationships or compromise your sexual boundaries because of exploitation or sex work. You do these procedures to make enough money for survival or get your procedures done. Dr Camiel says that he does not judge because people often choose keeping in mind the society. So in these situations, it is important to figure out how one can keep oneself safe. If you are sexually active then you must know about the protective measures and how you can save yourselves in dangerous situations. Where there is more risk like sex work or an unhealthy relationship where you are not sure what the other person wants from you then you need to discuss. And you need to keep yourself safe not because HRT increases the chances of getting an STI but because this is how society is.