This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Telling someone a sexual partner needs to know about an infection is hard for almost everyone. It is also a normal part of sexual health care, and many people in Houston have had this conversation.

This guide covers how to tell someone about an STD, a calm script you can adapt, and how expedited partner therapy works in Texas. It also covers why partner notification matters for treatment and where to get tested in Houston for free or at low cost.

Why partners need to know and need treatment too

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend that sex partners of a person diagnosed with an STI be told, evaluated and, when appropriate, treated. There is a practical reason. If only one person is treated, the other can still carry the infection and pass it back.

For chlamydia and gonorrhea, the CDC guidelines advise telling partners from the 60 days before symptoms began or before the diagnosis. If you had no symptoms, that means the 60 days before the test. A clinician can tell you which partners fall in that window for your situation.

Some infections cause no symptoms at all. A partner may feel fine and still benefit from a test. Telling them gives them the chance to get one.

This conversation is about care and about protecting each other's health. It is not about blame. STIs are common, and they can pass between people of any gender, orientation or relationship style.

What you need before you talk

You do not need anything fancy. A little preparation makes the conversation easier.

Your own facts. Know the name of the infection, whether it is treated, and what your clinician told you about next steps. If you are unsure, call the clinic and ask.
A list of partners to tell. Include anyone you had sex with during the window your clinician gave you.
A good time and place. Choose somewhere private where neither of you is rushed.
A trusted source to share. The CDC's gettested.cdc.gov locator is a neutral place to send a partner who wants to find a testing site.
A plan for your own care. Know whether you have finished treatment or when your clinician wants you to retest.

Step-by-step: how to tell your partner about an STD

Step 1: Get your own care first

Talk with a clinician before you tell anyone else. They can explain the diagnosis, describe treatment and answer questions you will likely hear back from a partner. Treatment is something only a clinician prescribes, so ask them what applies to you.

Bacterial infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, along with trichomoniasis, are curable with treatment from a clinician, according to the CDC. HIV, herpes and HPV are not curable, but they are treatable or manageable. Being able to say that clearly often calms both people down.

Step 2: Decide who to tell and in what order

Start with current partners and recent ones within the window your clinician gave you. Some people tell the closest or most recent partner first. There is no single right order.

If you feel unsafe telling someone, or worry about a violent reaction, you do not have to do it face to face. A clinic or health department can often help you think through other options.

Step 3: Choose how to tell them

In person is often best for a current partner, because you can answer questions right away. A phone call works too. A text or message is a reasonable choice when you feel unsafe, or when the person is a past partner you are not in touch with regularly.

Whatever you pick, avoid giving the news right before sex, in a crowded place or during an argument.

Step 4: Use a calm, simple script

Lead with care, say the facts, and offer next steps. You can adapt these words:

"I want to tell you something because I care about your health. I was tested and my results showed [name of infection]."
"Since we were together, I think you should get tested too. A lot of these infections do not cause symptoms."
"It is treatable. My clinician explained what to do, and I am following that plan."
"I can help you find a place to get tested, if that would help."

For a text, you can keep it shorter: "Hi. I got some health news I need to share with you. Can we talk today? It is about a test result and it affects both of us."

Step 5: Let them react

Your partner may be quiet, worried, hurt or relieved. All of those are common. You do not have to settle everything in one conversation.

You can say, "Take the time you need. I am happy to answer questions now or later." Try not to argue about who gave it to whom. Many STIs can be present for a long time without symptoms, so it is rarely possible to know.

Step 6: Share testing and treatment information

Encourage your partner to see a clinician or get tested. If they have symptoms, or the infection is one where timing matters, they should do this soon. The CDC notes that testing too early after an exposure can miss an infection for some tests, so a clinician can tell them when to test.

For HIV, the CDC says post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) works best when started as soon as possible and within 72 hours of a possible exposure. If the exposure was recent, tell your partner to ask a clinic about PEP right away.

Step 7: Agree on sex while treatment is under way

The CDC guidelines advise avoiding sex until treatment is finished and partners have been treated, to avoid passing the infection back and forth. Your clinician will tell you what applies to your infection. Talk with your partner about this plainly, and about when each of you plans to retest.

For chlamydia and gonorrhea, the CDC recommends retesting about three months after treatment, because reinfection is common.

Expedited partner therapy in Texas

Expedited partner therapy, often called EPT, lets a clinician provide treatment for a patient's sex partners without first examining them. It exists because partners are sometimes hard to get into a clinic, and untreated partners can reinfect the patient.

The CDC supports EPT for chlamydia and gonorrhea where it is legal. It is not a good fit for every infection, and a clinician decides whether it is appropriate. For syphilis, partners generally need to be seen and evaluated.

Here is what the CDC's legal status page for Texas says:

Texas has no EPT statute. The legal basis is administrative rules in Title 22 of the Texas Administrative Code.
A Texas Medical Board rule says a physician does not need an existing practitioner-patient relationship to prescribe STD medications for the partners of an established patient (22 Tex. Admin. Code Sec. 190.8).
Advanced practice registered nurses may order or prescribe STD medications for partners of an established patient, but are not required to (22 Tex. Admin. Code Sec. 222.4).
Pharmacists may dispense partner STD prescriptions without a physician-partner relationship, and the partner's name is not required on the label (22 Tex. Admin. Code Sec. 291.29 and Sec. 291.33).

In plain terms, EPT is permitted in Texas, but it depends on the clinician. Not every clinician offers it, and it is not a replacement for a partner's own visit. If you want it, ask your clinician at the time of your diagnosis whether they provide it for your infection. A partner who gets medication this way should still ask about testing for other infections.

Partner notification services and the health department

Many health departments help with partner notification, and some can tell partners about an exposure without naming the patient. The Houston Health Department and Harris County Public Health publish information about their sexual health services. The pages I reviewed do not describe an anonymous partner notification service, so I cannot say whether one exists or how it works.

To find out, call the Houston Health Department's health centers at 832-393-4220, or Harris County Public Health at its Antoine Clinic at 832-927-7350. Ask: "Do you offer help notifying partners, and can it be done without using my name?"

Texas also requires clinicians and labs to report certain infections to the state. The Texas Department of State Health Services lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV among its notifiable conditions. Reporting is a public health function, and you can ask the clinic how it affects you.

Where to get tested in Houston

Your partner can go to any clinician. If cost or time is a barrier, these Houston options are published by the organizations themselves:

Houston Health Department health centers at Northside (8504 Schuller Rd.), Sharpstown (6201 Bonhomme Rd., 3rd Floor, South Tower) and Sunnyside (4410 Reed Rd.). Call 832-393-4220. Cost is on a sliding scale. The department says walk-ins are accepted as capacity permits, with appointments encouraged from September 1, 2026. PrEP and nPEP are by appointment at 832-395-9800.
Harris County Public Health Antoine Clinic at 5815 Antoine Dr. Services are listed as free, with walk-ins welcome. Its page lists Monday to Thursday, 8am to 7pm, Friday closed, and every other Saturday, 8am to 2pm. Confirm before you go.
Legacy Community Health, Montrose at 1415 California St., (832) 548-5100. Legacy lists free HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C testing and says services are open to all regardless of ability to pay. Its pages do not state a price for a full STI panel.
The Montrose Center at 401 Branard Street, 713-529-0037. It lists free walk-in rapid HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis testing, Monday to Thursday, 9AM to 2PM. It does not list a full STI panel.
Avenue 360 Health & Wellness at Heights (2150 West 18th Street, Suite 300) and Midtown (2920 Fannin St.), (713) 426-0027. It lists free walk-in rapid HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis testing, Monday to Friday, 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

Services differ at each site, so call first. For a fuller breakdown of costs and what each clinic tests for, see our guide to STD testing in Houston and what it costs. The CDC's gettested.cdc.gov tool can also help a partner find a site by ZIP code.

Tips that make the conversation easier

Lead with the facts, then the feelings. A clear first sentence helps the other person stay steady.
Practice out loud. Saying the script once to yourself or a trusted friend lowers the pressure.
Offer to come along or help find a clinic. A small offer shows you are on the same side.
Keep it private. Do not share a partner's health information with others without their agreement.
Be ready for questions you cannot answer. "I do not know, but my clinician can explain" is a good reply.

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting too long. Earlier notice gives your partner more options, and may help avoid passing it on again.
Using shame or blame. Words like "you gave me" rarely help. Neither person can usually know who passed on an infection first.
Skipping partners you feel awkward about. Past partners deserve the same chance to get checked.
Guessing about medical details. If you are not sure, say so and point them to a clinician.
Assuming a partner must be treated the same way you were. What a partner needs is for their own clinician to decide.
Resuming sex too soon. Follow your clinician's advice about when it is safe to have sex again.

What you can reasonably expect

Reactions vary. Many partners are grateful for the information, and the conversation often goes better than people fear. Some need time to think. A few may react with anger or distress, which can ease after a day or two.

Telling partners and getting them tested or treated can lower the chance of passing an infection back and forth. It may also help partners with no symptoms learn about an infection earlier. Results differ from person to person, and treatment outcomes depend on the infection and on what a clinician prescribes.

Whatever the response, you have taken a caring step. If the conversation was hard, a nurse or counselor at one of the clinics above can talk it through with you.

How to Tell a Partner You Have an STD (and Expedited Partner Therapy in Texas)