Sex during STI treatment?

Whenever you or a partner⁠ (partner: In a sexual context, a person with whom someone is having some kind of sex. The term “partner” can be used for all kinds of relationships, not just serious ones. “Partner” can also mean the person someone is with in a romantic or familial partnership.) are being treated for an STI⁠ (STI: Sexually transmitted infections: illness, infection and/or disease which is often or can be transmitted through sexual or other intimate contact, like HIV, Chlamydia or Herpes. Some people call STIs STDs.) or any infection⁠ (infection: When harmful microbes, or germs, or harmful levels of microbes/germs, enter the body and multiply, causing illness. The common cold, flu viruses, sexually transmitted infections, chickenpox, impetigo, rabies and diphtheria are some kinds of infections.) , it’s best to hold off all sexual⁠ (sexual: About or relating in some way to sex or sexuality.) activity until you are sure everything is clear and healed up. Even if your symptoms seem to have disappeared, it can take your bodies a while to completely clear the infection and get back to normal. If one of you were to be clear and the other not, it’s also possible that you might pass the infection back. Also, many infections can cause irritation, so engaging in sexual activities that create friction can further inflame the already fragile tissue. While condoms would obviously help prevent transmission, they won’t help with the friction and irritation issue.

So, you really want to wait until your treatments are finished and you are both clear and healed. If you didn’t ask at your appointment, you will want to call the office of the health care provider who provided the diagnosis and treatments and ask how long they advise waiting before engaging in any sexual activities. Up until you get the go ahead from them though, you’ll want to avoid sexual activities involving your genitals⁠ (genitals: Body parts that are generally, culturally, scientifically or personally considered to be external sexual or reproductive organs.) or your partners’.