Today my vulva was super itchy-I itched it (kind of a a lot, it sort of felt really good) and I drew some blood. Now it feels slightly irritated. Is it still safe to me to have sex with my partner? Including orally, manual stimulation, toys, etc.
You should avoid sex if your genitals are irritated, including oral sex, your partner touching your vulva, and using toys. The itchiness may be from an infection or STD that could be passed back and forth between you and your partner.
It’s a really bad idea to have sexual contact if you have a cut or broken skin, and/or if there’s blood present. Some STDs, like HIV, are passed through blood. And cuts in your genitals give STDs and other germs an easy way to get into your body. And even if you use condoms (which you should anyway!), having sex or doing anything that causes rubbing and friction on your vulva or vagina might make the irritation worse.
So give your vulva a break until the irritation goes away and your cuts heal. If the itchies stick around for more than a few days or it gets any worse, see a nurse or doctor to find out what’s up – it’s probably a common infection that can be easily cured.
-Kendall at Planned Parenthood
Tags: STDs, sex, condoms, safer sex, vagina, vulva, yeast infection, blood