According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, half of survey respondents reported having less sex than when the pandemic began. Why? What are the concerns? Can the new coronavirus spread through sexual activity? What are the recommended do’s and don’t’s regarding sexual activity during the coronavirus pandemic?
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, half of survey respondents reported having less sex than when the pandemic began.
In the same survey, many respondents reported trying new activities like “sexting, sending nude photos to someone else, trying a new sexual position and sharing fantasies with a partner.”
Why are many people having sex less often or not at all? For obvious reasons”
1. Concern that the person may contract coronavirus from sexual activity.
2. Stress, anxiety, and even depression related to the coronavirus situation.
Does social distancing mean that people can’t have sex? The 2019 coronavirus may be spread through breath. That’s a huge concern. But, can coronavirus be transmitted through sexual activity (other than breathing on your partner)?
The 2019 coronavirus is reliably present in saliva (Azzi et al., 2020).
The 2019 coronavirus has been found in blood, urine, facial swabs, and anal swabs (Song et al., 2020). The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor, which is utilized by the 2019 coronavirus, is also present in the male reproductive tract (Song et al.,2020). But, a small study of 12 men in Wuhan recovering from coronavirus did not find the virus in their semen (Song et al., 2020).
Another small study of 10 Chinese women with severe COVID-19 infection found that none of them had detectable coronavirus in vaginal swab specimens (Qiu et al., 2020).
So, the bottom line is that, as of April 19, 2020, we are not 100% sure whether or not coronavirus can be transmitted through semen or vaginal secretions. But, it probably can be transmitted by exchange of saliva.
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On April 19, 2020, I was unable to find any advice on the Centers for Disease Control website(cdc.gov) about coronavirus and sexual activity. Is our federal government being prudish? But, we do have recommendations from other sources, including the New York City Health Department.
Even in these terrible times, we can find a bit of humor in recommendations from various authorities, even if they didn’t intend to be humorous:
– A memorable quote from a gynecologist interviewed by the Wall Street Journal (Bernstein, 2020): “If you are sitting and having dinner together and breathing on each other, you might as well have sex.”
– Advice from the New York City Health Department: “You are your safest sex partner”, they emphasize, adding that “Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex.”
But, seriously, here is some of what is being recommended regarding sex and coronavirus:
Sex with whom?
– It is safest for people to ONLY have sex with someone with whom they live and have an exclusive relationship, and who have been practicing all the precautions recommended for coronavirus (e.g., social distancing).
– If a person has symptoms that may indicate a coronavirus infection, they must stop having sex with even their partner who lives with them and isolate themselves from that person.
– If either partner has a medical condition that may be associated with greater severity of COVID-19 (e.g., lung or heart disease, cancer, weakened immunity), it may be best to abstain from sex until the pandemic is over (NYC Health Department, 2020).
What types of sexual activities?
– Saliva is likely to transmit the 2019 coronavirus while as of April 2020, it seems unlikely that semen or vaginal fluids do so. What is the implication of this? No kissing?
– Anal sex may be riskier than vaginal sex because the coronavirus has been found in feces.
– Condoms can reduce contact with saliva and feces during oral and anal sex, respectively (NYC Health Department, 2020).
– Hand sanitizer is irritating to mucous membranes. So, it should not be used immediately before sex or masturbation and should not be used to clean sex toys.
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For more recommendations about sexual activity and coronavirus, we recommend reading the New York City Health Department’s guidelines about sex and coronavirus.
Note: This article has not discussed the issue of coronavirus and pregnancy.
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Azzi L, Carcano G, Gianfagna F, Grossi P, Gasperina DD, Genoni A, Fasano M, Sessa F, Tettamanti L, Carinci F, Maurino V, Agostino R, Tagliabue A; University of Insubria COVID-19 Task Force, Baj A. Saliva is a reliable tool to detect SARS-CoV-2. J Infect. 2020 Apr 13. pii: S0163-4453(20)30213-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.04.005. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32298676.
Bernstein E. Sex in the Time of Coronavirus. Wall Street Journal. April 19, 2020.
Gunter J. Coronavirus and Sex: Questions and Answers. New York Times. March 30, 2020 (updated April 10, 2020).
NYC Health Department. Sex and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). March 27, 2020.
Olulode C. Coronavirus and sex: What you need to know. BBCnews.com. March 30, 2020.
Qiu L, Liu X, Xiao M, Xie J, Cao W, Liu Z, Morse A, Xie Y, Li T, Zhu L. SARS-CoV-2 is not detectable in the vaginal fluid of women with severe COVID-19 infection. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Apr 2. pii: ciaa375. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa375. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32241022.
Song C, Wang Y, Li W, Hu B, Chen G, Xia P, Wang W, Li C, Diao F, Hu Z, Yang X, Yao B, Liu Y. Absence of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in Semen and Testes of COVID-19 Patients. Biol Reprod. 2020 Apr 16. pii: ioaa050. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioaa050. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32297920.
References not used on this page
Hussein J. COVID-19: What implications for sexual and reproductive health and rights globally? Sex Reprod Health Matters. 2020 Dec;28(1):1746065. doi: 10.1080/26410397.2020.1746065. PubMed PMID: 32191167.
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