Fact Check: Can You Get an STD From Touching Yourself?

Masturbation is a completely normal, healthy part of human sexuality. It helps you explore your body, release stress, and even improve sleep and mood. And when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), solo sex is generally considered the safest sexual activity out there (because there’s no one else to transmit an infection to or from).

While you can’t catch STDs or sexually transmitted infections (STIs) from masturbating by yourself, with clean hands, like most things in sexual health, there’s a little more to the story. 

Keep reading to learn more about STI transmission and how to practice safe sex, even when it’s by yourself.

Can you get an STD from touching yourself?

Technically, yes, but only in very specific situations. Most sexually transmitted infections require some sort of contact between bodily fluids (like genital secretions) or mucous membranes (genitals, anus, mouth) for transmission. When you're alone, without anyone else’s fluids or skin involved, there's no new source of infection.

But what can happen is this: if you already have a sexually transmitted disease or come into contact with infected material — say, on your hands, sex toys, or fingers — it’s possible to transfer an infection to another part of your body.

If you have a cold sore (usually caused by oral herpes, aka HSV-1) and you touch your mouth, then immediately touch your genitals without washing your hands, you could potentially spread the herpes virus from one area to another, a process known as autoinoculation (the spread of infection from one part of the body to another). This isn’t super common, but it is medically documented.

What about touching yourself after sexual contact?

Let’s say you’ve had sexual contact with someone and then masturbate later, or you've engaged in mutual masturbation. Could you pick something up that way? Possibly, especially if you didn’t wash your hands or sex toys after being exposed to a partner’s infected body fluids, or you have a small cut or open area on your hands or genitals. 

In cases like these, infections like herpes, human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, or gonorrhea could be transmitted, though the risk is generally very low.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most STDs are transmitted through direct oral, anal, or vaginal sexual contact, or from skin-to-skin contact in areas not covered by a condom. Hands aren’t a major mode of transmission for most STDs. Studies show that the risk of transmitting something like chlamydia or gonorrhea via fingers is very low, though not zero.

While pathogens like gonorrhea can survive on hands for a short time, transmission through casual hand contact is rare. Viruses like HPV or herpes are more resilient, but even then, they typically need direct mucous membrane exposure to spread.

So yes, your hands can carry germs, including STD-causing pathogens, but they’re not a major vehicle for transmission unless there’s been direct contact with infected fluids or sores, and the hands are then used without washing. 

How to masturbate safely 

Here’s the good news: a little hygiene goes a long way. If you’re touching yourself:

• Wash your hands thoroughly before and after. 
• Clean any sex toys with soap and water or a recommended toy cleaner. 
• Avoid touching your genitals if you have an active cold sore or herpes outbreak. 
• Don’t share toys unless they’re properly cleaned — or use condoms on them. 

There is an extremely low risk of transmitting a sexually transmitted disease from one part of your body to another. However, if you touch yourself after sexual contact with a partner and do not properly clean your hands or any toys, there is a possibility of spreading an infection. That said, you can't contract an STD from masturbating alone, provided that you start with clean hands.

FAQ

Can you get an STD from touching something then touching yourself?

There's virtually no chance, but under very specific circumstances, it’s not impossible. Most STDs need contact with bodily fluids or mucous membranes to be transmitted (so via activities like oral, anal, or vaginal sex). That said, certain infections, like herpes or HPV, can survive briefly on surfaces or skin, which opens a small window of risk if you touch something that has an infected person’s fluids or skin cells on it and then immediately touch your own genitals without washing your hands. But (and this is important) STDs don’t typically live long outside the body. For example, viruses and bacteria that cause STDs tend to be very fragile once exposed to air or different temperatures, so the chance of picking one up from, say, a public toilet seat, shared towel, or even a doorknob is incredibly low. Good hygiene is your best defense. Washing your hands before and after any kind of sex act, including solo play, is more than enough to prevent that kind of transmission in everyday scenarios. So while it’s technically possible, this isn’t a common way people get STDs.

What STDs can be transmitted by hands?

While most STIs spread via oral, vaginal, or anal sex, some can be passed through hand-to-genital contact, particularly if infected fluids or sores are involved. If someone has an active herpes sore, the herpes virus can be present on their skin, and if another person touches that area and then touches their genitals (or someone else’s) without washing their hands, there’s a chance the virus could be transmitted. The same goes for HPV, which is spread through skin-to-skin contact. Though it’s more commonly passed through sexual intercourse, it can spread from hand contact in rare cases. Gonorrhea and chlamydia typically require more direct mucous membrane exposure, but there have been isolated cases where hand-to-eye contact, for instance, led to an eye infection caused by gonorrhea. It’s rare but medically documented. Hands can act as a bridge if they’ve come into contact with infected fluids, but they’re not the main route of transmission for most STDs. As a general rule, it’s best to abstain from any type of partnered sex if either you or your sexual partner has symptoms of an STI, such as abnormal discharge, a burning sensation when you pee, or visible genital sores or warts.

What’s the easiest STD to catch?

It depends on how we're defining "easy" — whether it's about how contagious the infection is, how it's transmitted, or how common it is in the population. Herpes and HPV are often considered among the easiest to contract because they’re both spread through skin-to-skin contact, not just through the exchange of fluids. That means condoms can reduce the risk, but don’t eliminate it completely. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., and the CDC estimates that nearly all sexually active people will get it at some point in their lives, often without even knowing. Herpes is also incredibly widespread, and because people can transmit the virus even when they don’t have visible symptoms, it can spread without either partner realizing it. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are also very common and easily transmitted during unprotected sex, but they typically require direct contact with mucous membranes, making them slightly less “easy” to catch compared to skin-to-skin infections like herpes or HPV. What makes all of these tricky is that they can often be asymptomatic, meaning someone can have and pass on the infection without any signs, which is why regular testing is so important.

Can I get an STD without being sexually active?

Yes, it’s possible to get an STD even if you’ve never had what’s traditionally considered "sex", especially if your definition of being sexually active doesn’t include activities like oral sex, skin-to-skin contact, or mutual masturbation. Some people consider themselves sexually active only if they’ve had vaginal or anal intercourse, while others may include oral sex, genital touching, or even sharing sex toys. STDs don’t require full penetrative sex to spread. Herpes and HPV, for example, can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, meaning rubbing, touching, or oral-genital contact can be enough for transmission. Other infections, like pubic lice or scabies, can be passed through close physical contact or shared bedding. You might also be exposed to STDs through shared sex toys if they’re not cleaned properly or used between partners without a barrier, like a condom. So yes, you can be at risk for STDs without having had what you’d typically define as sex. This is why it’s still important to get tested regularly and practice good hygiene, even if your sexual activity feels “low risk.”