General Question

sfgal's avatar

How likely is it to transmit the common cold through sexual intercourse without kissing?

Asked by sfgal (269 points ) February 16th, 2009

If one partner has a cold, and both partners make an effort to not kiss or breathe on each other, but they still have sex, can the illness be transmitted through other bodily fluids besides saliva? Common sense would say yes, but I’m still curious.

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9 Answers

eponymoushipster's avatar

i have a friend and she got a cold through the mouth sex. seriously.

AstroChuck's avatar

The most common way to spread a cold is simply by contact. Shaking hands can really spread it so I’ve got to say sexual intercourse would very likely do it, condom or no condom.

Mr_M's avatar

Sexual intercourse without kissing would be like eating Baskin Robbins ice cream without tasting, I think.

eponymoushipster's avatar

@Mr_M sex without kissing is what bangkok whores make you do. i hear

Mr_M's avatar

“Bangkok”? I guess that’s not a location but a specific description of services, then.

Mr_M's avatar


Grisson's avatar

That would be like a day without sunshine! Or breakfast without orange juice! Or Florida without Anita Bryant!

MissAnthrope's avatar

You’re more likely to catch a cold from shaking hands than kissing, from what I understand. One, your saliva is acidic, then that travels to your stomach is even more acidic. In addition, your esophagus is coated in mucous, although meant to aid in the travel of food, it also serves as a barrier to keep bacteria from the cells beneath.

Two, your hands are disease vectors in a way most people don’t fathom. People tend to touch their faces more than they know, and they also don’t always wash their hands after sneezing, or after blowing or touching their noses. So there’s a decent chance the sick person has cold germs on their hands, which would then get transmitted by touch, then the recipient rubs their eyes or nose.. and voila, the cold is passed on.

I’m skeptical about the person catching a cold from oral sex. I’m betting skin-to-skin transmission is at play here.

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