[Question #11041] STD Risk From Shared Towel

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17 months ago
Three weeks ago, I shared a towel that my mom has been using. I used it to dry my whole body off after I was done taking a shower.  I didn't know it at the time, but she hadn't been washing  the towels she was using and instead would put them in the dryer and take them back out to be used again. My mom had been having unprotected sex with men, so she may be at risk of having an STI. Is there a risk of me contracting an STI after sharing a used towel that had gone through the dryer, which I used to dry myself off after a shower?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
17 months ago
Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your confidence in our services.

STDs are never transmitted in this manner. Even if your mom has an active infection, even if she used the towel on the affected area, and even if you immediately used the towel a few minutes later, you would not be infected. STIs simply are much too difficult to transmit to allow this. In fact, that's the very reason they are almost only sexually transmitted:  the bacteria and viruses that cause them evolved to require intimate contact itself to propagate themselves, i.e. to infect other persons. In addition, no bacteria or viruses of any kind can survive detergent, washing, and the dryer. And in case you're wondering, there also is no possibility of infection from shared bathrooms, kitchens, utensils, etc. Household transmission of STDs just doesn't happen.

You will be at possible risk of STDs only when and if you become sexually active yourself. At that time, take the standard precautions. But don't worry about any infection on account of your mom's sexual lifestyle. I can imagine her lifestyle might be stressful for you, in which case you'll need to work it out: perhaps with her, your doctor, or a respected friend. But STD should not be a concern at all -- either from towels or any other means, including close personal contact like hugging, non-intimate parent-child kissing, or shared toilets or kitchen utensils.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD
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