(I am not any kind of medical expert, so the value of this comment is very limited. But you did ask for general opinions.)
I think you are clearly correct about the likelihood of encountering a partner with an STD being higher than naive calculations would suggest. It isn’t clear to me how much higher. If you are at least taking typical safe-sex precautions then the probability of transmission can be quite low even if your partner does have an STD; I fear there’s no good substitute for actually doing the calculations, for someone who actually wants to make a sensible decision on this and would if possible like to have a lot of sex with a lot of people.
My impression (based on almost exactly zero information) is that antibiotic treatment for most STDs is very close to 100% successful at present, but I would be concerned about hastening the development of antibiotic resistance in STDs, on account of the implications for other people. (If you[1] can guarantee that if diagnosed with an STD and treated with antibiotics you will have absolutely no sex with anyone until you’re definitely cured, maybe that’s not a factor.)
Also, of course, antibiotics will do you no good at all if you get, say, genital herpes or HIV.
[1] Meaning a hypothetical person wondering about this stuff for practical reasons, not necessarily you.
(I am not any kind of medical expert, so the value of this comment is very limited. But you did ask for general opinions.)
I think you are clearly correct about the likelihood of encountering a partner with an STD being higher than naive calculations would suggest. It isn’t clear to me how much higher. If you are at least taking typical safe-sex precautions then the probability of transmission can be quite low even if your partner does have an STD; I fear there’s no good substitute for actually doing the calculations, for someone who actually wants to make a sensible decision on this and would if possible like to have a lot of sex with a lot of people.
My impression (based on almost exactly zero information) is that antibiotic treatment for most STDs is very close to 100% successful at present, but I would be concerned about hastening the development of antibiotic resistance in STDs, on account of the implications for other people. (If you[1] can guarantee that if diagnosed with an STD and treated with antibiotics you will have absolutely no sex with anyone until you’re definitely cured, maybe that’s not a factor.)
Also, of course, antibiotics will do you no good at all if you get, say, genital herpes or HIV.
[1] Meaning a hypothetical person wondering about this stuff for practical reasons, not necessarily you.