The relationships in that high school are similar but not necessarily analogous to a polyamorous network. Because the relationships that make up that graph don’t overlap temporally at their connecting nodes, an STD that enters the graph can only affect people that form a new connection after its appearance. An STD in a polyamorous network can spread to every member, regardless of when they join the network.
That’s kinda bad. Poly folk tend to be very concerned about STDs; common best-practices are to use barriers with new partners (or all partners), get tested for new infections regularly (usually monthly), and to require one’s partners to do the same.
This lines up pretty closely with Daniel’s recommendation, but even if you take every precaution imaginable, being a part of a large polyamorous network will increase your risk of exposure by at least a little.
Though it may be worth mentioning that that effect may be offset by the generally high level of caution in the poly community and increased certainty about your partner’s partners, what with cheating being (almost entirely) out of the equation.
Poly folk tend to be very concerned about STDs; common best-practices are to use barriers with new partners (or all partners), get tested for new infections regularly (usually monthly), and to require one’s partners to do the same.
OK, but IMHO there is significant risk from infectious agents for which we do not yet have reliable affordable tests or that we do not yet believe to be sexually transmitted or that we do not yet believe to be particularly harmful.
(The spirochete that causes Lyme disease would be an agent of the second category.)
The relationships in that high school are similar but not necessarily analogous to a polyamorous network. Because the relationships that make up that graph don’t overlap temporally at their connecting nodes, an STD that enters the graph can only affect people that form a new connection after its appearance. An STD in a polyamorous network can spread to every member, regardless of when they join the network.
That’s kinda bad. Poly folk tend to be very concerned about STDs; common best-practices are to use barriers with new partners (or all partners), get tested for new infections regularly (usually monthly), and to require one’s partners to do the same.
This lines up pretty closely with Daniel’s recommendation, but even if you take every precaution imaginable, being a part of a large polyamorous network will increase your risk of exposure by at least a little.
Though it may be worth mentioning that that effect may be offset by the generally high level of caution in the poly community and increased certainty about your partner’s partners, what with cheating being (almost entirely) out of the equation.
OK, but IMHO there is significant risk from infectious agents for which we do not yet have reliable affordable tests or that we do not yet believe to be sexually transmitted or that we do not yet believe to be particularly harmful.
(The spirochete that causes Lyme disease would be an agent of the second category.)