The 5 P's for Sexual Behavior History Taking

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2015. MMWR Recomm Rep 2015;64(No. RR-3): 1-137.

The Five P’s: Partners, Practices, Prevention of Pregnancy, Protection from STDs, and Past History of STDs

1. Partners
   • “Do you have sex with men, women, or both?”
   • “In the past 2 months, how many partners have you had sex with?”
   • “In the past 12 months, how many partners have you had sex with?”
   • “Is it possible that any of your sex partners in the past 12 months had sex with someone else while they were still in a sexual relationship with you?”
2. Practices
   • “To understand your risks for STDs, I need to understand the kind of sex you have had recently.”
   • “Have you had vaginal sex, meaning ‘penis in vagina sex’?” If yes, “Do you use condoms: never, sometimes, or always?”
   • “Have you had anal sex, meaning ‘penis in rectum/anus sex’?” If yes, “Do you use condoms: never, sometimes, or always?”
   • “Have you had oral sex, meaning ‘mouth on penis/vagina’?”
   For condom answers:
   • If “never”: “Why don’t you use condoms?”
   • If “sometimes”: “In what situations (or with whom) do you use condoms?”
3. Prevention of pregnancy
   • “What are you doing to prevent pregnancy?”
4. Protection from STDs
   • “What do you do to protect yourself from STDs and HIV?”
5. Past history of STDs
   • “Have you ever had an STD?”
   • “Have any of your partners had an STD?”
   Additional questions to identify HIV and viral hepatitis risk include:
   • “Have you or any of your partners ever injected drugs?”
   • “Have you or any of your partners exchanged money or drugs for sex?”
   • “Is there anything else about your sexual practices that I need to know?”