Here’s the truth about the risk for sexually transmitted infections in woman-to-woman sex as we know it today: Some infections—such as herpes, syphilis, and genital warts—can be transmitted by genital rubbing and do not require heterosexual penetrative intercourse for transmission. Therefore, if two women engage in genital rubbing, one of the women may acquire an STD from the other, even if neither of the women has ever had sexual contact with a man.
Another factor to consider is that about 80 percent of lesbian women report having had a sexual relationship with a man at some time in the past, and about 25 percent of lesbian women report “occasionally” having sex with men. These women may be at risk for infections such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis, hepatitis, and HIV, and so may their sexual partners.
A woman who shares sex toys with a female partner or has oral sex with a female partner may transmit such STDs as HIV and hepatitis, especially if there is blood mixed in with her vaginal secretions. Lesbian women can also become infected with STDs through artificial insemination with semen from a man who has not been adequately screened for infections.
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