If all you have is a yeast infection, then nothing awful will happen if you have sex while you still have it. But depending on how severe the infection is, many people with yeast infections complain of lots of itching and discomfort. That can make sex sort of uncomfortable. The friction of intercourse can make the tender vaginal tissue even more inflamed and painful. Yeast infections are not considered contagious and your partner is not likely to develop any problems from it.
The important thing though is to be sure that all you have is a yeast infection. We are assuming you are a woman. Women can have discharges from their vaginal areas that can be itchy and painful and seem like yeast infections but which are really other types of infections. Some of these are sexually transmitted infections (STI) like Trichomonas and others are not sexually transmitted, like a bacterial vaginitis sometimes called Gardnerella.
If you have symptoms that make you think you have a yeast infection, we would recommend that that you go see your health care provider and let that person examine you. He/she will want to talk about your sexual history and do an exam and tests for STI’s. The test for yeast infections can usually be done right in the office.
If you only have a yeast infection, there are good medications to treat it. You will feel better physically, sex will be more pleasant, and it will be safer because you’ll know you don’t have any other more worrisome infections. (And, we are assuming you know to use condoms as part of safer sex precautions.)
You're not alone. Take a look at a few of the questions related to this topic that other teens have asked us.
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Posted 12-26-01
