Katherine Stone, MD Dr. Stone is a nationally recognized expert on genital herpes, genital HPV infections, and primary prevention of STD, especially condoms. Dr. Stone has been a member of ASHA's HPV Scientific Advisory Committee since its inception in 1990, and recently retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she worked as a medical epidemiologist for over 20 years.

Q. If I need a lubricant to use with a latex condom, what products in my home are suitable??

A. Almost none!! It's really important to buy a "personal lubricant" (such as KYtm or Astroglidetm gel, jelly, or liquid) at the local drug store and keep it on hand. They range in price from less than $1.00 per ounce to over $3.50 per ounce. The pricier ones are cleverly designed to mimic the texture of natural pre-ejaculate, and are usually concentrated - a little goes a long way and some you can "recharge" using saliva or water. If you are saving your pennies to buy condoms or designer underwear, a good budget lubricant is glycerin (the clear liquid, not the suppositories), available at any drug store. Lotions, shampoo, hair conditioner, petroleum jelly, butter, cooking oils, massage oils, WD-40, sunscreen, and other common items are likely to contain oils or other substances that weaken latex and cause a condom to break. Certain oils, especially mineral oil, can cause a condom to lose 90% of its strength within 60 seconds. Do not attempt to read the ingredients on the label, unless you are a pharmacist or a chemist. Some massage oils are OK to use, but only if they are also labeled "personal lubricants." Be sure to look for "compatible with latex condoms" on the label.

But do not despair if you are caught unprepared with your pants down in the kitchen or the bathroom, or the bedroom. Saliva is fine to use with a condom, and it's free and readily available. Egg whites are also OK to use. Save those yolks in the fridge to make a good facial mask, crème brulee, or a tasty soufflé.

Another option is to use a female condom or a synthetic nonlatex male condom. These are made from polyurethane (the type of plastic in a sandwich bag) and are available at drugstores everywhere. Any lubricants, even those containing oils, are OK to use with them.

If you are uninformed, choosing a lubricant can be a slippery slope. Follow these tips, and let lubricants enhance your sexual pleasure.

References

Warner DL, Steiner M. Condoms. In: Hatcher RA, Trussell J, Stewart FH, Nelson AL, Cates W, Guest F, Kowal D (eds). Contraceptive Technology, 18th Revised Edition. Ardent Media: New York, 2004.

Voeller B, Coulson AH, Bernstein GS, Nakamura RM. Mineral oil lubricants cause rapid deterioration of latex condoms. Contraception 1989; 39:(1)95-102. 0010-7824.

Q. Can you get an STD from a toilet seat?

A. No. If that's what your lover told you, don't believe it for a minute but do admire him/her for trying. When I worked at CDC, our official answer to this question was "Only if you sit down before another person gets up." I've always been amazed that some people wouldn't think twice about having hot sex with someone they barely knew, but would never dream of sitting on a toilet seat without a paper seat cover! Let's think about this with common sense. STD germs are transmitted by contact with the genitals. The likelihood that these germs would be on the seat in the first place and hearty enough to cause an infection is close to zero. The chance that a susceptible part of your body would contact them is close to zero. Naturally limber (I can put my foot behind my head, but that never helped me get a date) and a yoga devotee, I assure you that no part of my genitals has ever touched, nor shall touch, any part of a toilet seat.

OK, you savvy readers who know that genital herpes can affect the skin of the buttocks and upper thighs are already thinking "BUT..." Getting herpes from virus left behind on a toilet seat would be close to impossible. Luckily, HSV is very fragile and will not remain infectious for very long on a toilet seat. Also, HSV does not bore through the skin like a worm enjoying a Golden Delicious; some element of friction is necessary.

Speaking of food, what about crabs? Theoretically, they could crawl onto you from a toilet seat. But that's not likely since a crab moves slower than a sloth and can't jump. On a good day a crab could crawl 10 mm (less than the width of your thumbnail). Also, crabs are like vampires - they don't survive very long without a human blood meal and they really hate light...hmm... maybe hovering over the seat is a good idea after all! Also it's good for strengthening the quads, so you can't go wrong. The bacterium that causes syphilis can probably bore through intact skin, but it also is too fragile to live comfortably on a toilet seat. What about men who claim their penis touches the seat or some part of the toilet bowl when they are in the seated position? No worry; the bowl is also not a hospitable place for STD germs to live.

The much-maligned toilet seat ranks up there with hair in your food. Diseases aren't transmitted by either, but both are aesthetically unappealing.

References

Douglas JM, Corey L. Fomites and herpes simplex virus: a case for nonvenereal transmission?? JAMA 1983; 250:3093-3094.

Billstein SA. Pubic lice. In: Holmes KK, Sparling PF, Mardh PA, et al (eds.). Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Third Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999, pp.641-645.