Dear Denise: I have chlamydia — does this mean my man cheated?

I booked a doctor’s appointment and expected to go home with antibiotics for a UTI.

It turns out I had an STI — chlamydia, to be precise — which is strange because I’ve only been with my partner in the last 18 months.

We both went for STI testing before we started hooking up and everything came back clear.

He says there must be some other way I contracted it, and that he knows someone who got it by sitting on a dirty toilet seat.

I love him, but I don’t know what to believe. Has he cheated?

Answer:Right now, you’re questioning your entire relationship. And as painful as it may be to hear, the only way this STI can be transmitted is through unprotected sex or unwashed sex toys.

If you both had STI checks before you engaged sexually, then the likelihood is that your partner has been playing away.

Aside from being unfaithful, chlamydia is a silent infection that can go on to cause chronic pain and, in extreme cases, infertility if not treated.

In other words, your partner’s deceit had the potential to put your health at risk — that alone should make you rethink this relationship.

Email your problems to Maura O’Neill maura.oneill@sundayworld.com Denise Smith denise.smith@sundayworld.com All pictures are posed by models