Coverage of a celebrity couple's infidelity scandal is more than just a race for ratings – it is an opportunity to educate the public about the health risks and realities every couple faces when confronted with infidelity.

I’ve watched and read a lot of news about Tiger

Woods’ admitted infidelity while married and the potential impact that may

have on his career, the sport of golf and his marriage. It’s not as if I’ve sought out

information about Tiger Woods and his infidelity, but it’s almost impossible to

avoid it with the wall to wall coverage being lavished on the scandal. When I read

one news item about allegations that Woods didn’t wear a condom while being

unfaithful my natural inclination was to cringe and move on. But that speculation stuck with me as I

absorbed subsequent coverage and I began to notice that the issue of the health

risks associated with infidelity was absent without leave from most of the

mainstream coverage.

I was reminded of an incident that occurred when I was

teaching a women’s health class at a local shelter for teen mothers. My students and I were discussing

health relationships and one student mentioned that she thought her boyfriend

was cheating on her. She related

feeling anger toward him and the woman she suspected was involved and she

indicated that she planned to confront both of them about her suspicions. Several students offered advice on how

she should go about those confrontations and a spirited conversation erupted

over who had wronged whom and what the best course of revenge was. I listened for a while and then jumped

in with a question.

“Have you been tested?”

The students went silent and the student who suspected her

boyfriend was cheating asked, “Tested for what? I’m not pregnant.”

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I replied that she suspected her sexual partner was having

sex outside of their relationship and that she should ask him if her suspicions

were accurate but that she should also get tested for sexually transmitted

infections (STIs) particularly if she and her partner do not use condoms for

protection against STIs. I

followed that up with the suggestion that she get tested even if they used

condoms.

The room was silent.

Several students stared at each other as if the thought had never

occurred to them. I went on to say

that infidelity causes a lot of emotional pain and heartache, but it also

carries with it some serious health risks. After a moment, the students began to ask questions and I

gave them answers and resources. I

left the shelter wondering why discussions of infidelity so often fail to

address the health risks associated with sexual activity.

Fast forward to the present and the current Tiger Woods

infidelity scandal. Not a lot has

changed. Tiger Woods is not on the

record about whether or not he used condoms when he cheated on his wife. Woods is on the record that he was

indeed unfaithful while married and participated in infidelities. But even though there hasn’t been

confirmation from Tiger Woods of whether or not he had unprotected sex while

being unfaithful, I can’t help but wonder why most of the mainstream media

coverage of the scandal has failed to include a message about the health risks

of infidelity?

I went online to research the issue of infidelity and came

across an

article on the Discovery Health website that offers some clues. The article, When

Your Partner Cheats: Healing From Infidelity, offers advice on how both

parties in a relationship should handle themselves once an infidelity has been

confirmed. Experts quoted in the

article suggest honesty, relationship therapy, patience and forgiveness. But, sans a suggestion that couples ask

their physicians for therapy recommendations, the piece fails to mention that

couples may want to discuss the health risks associated with infidelity or to

offer resources for couples who want to get tested for STIs.

I find that failure to mention the

health risks of infidelity negligent given the fact that infidelities

involve sex and anyone can get an STI by having intimate sexual contact with a

person who already has the infection. When discussing infidelities, whether

they involve a celebrity or not, people should be reminded that a person can

not tell if someone is infected because many STIs have no symptoms and they

should add that STIs may still be transmitted even if there are no symptoms.

STIs are spread during vaginal, anal, or oral sex or during

genital touching, so reports discussing infidelity should also point out that

it is possible to get some STIs without having intercourse.

In short, news coverage regarding infidelity needs to include more than just speculation

over whether a couple will divorce or how many alleged partners are

involved. Coverage of a celebrity couple’s

infidelity scandal is more than just a race for ratings – it is an opportunity to

educate the public about the realities every couple faces when confronted with

infidelity. Because beyond the

potential of the relationship ending and the emotional trauma due to the

destruction of trust there are the possible health risks associated with sexual

contact and/or intercourse.