Can You Catch an STD From a Swimming Pool Or Hot Tub?

As we approach summertime, you’ll likely have a dip or two in a pool or hot tub. For some, this may even include getting a little bit naughty! But, with so many illnesses that can be transmitted through bacteria in the water, are STDs one of them? To answer the question in full, we asked Your Sexual Health resident GP, Dr Rashid Bani. So, can you actually catch an STD from a swimming pool?

The short answer is no, you can’t get an STD from a swimming pool. This is because bacteria carrying the infection can’t live outside the body, especially in chlorine-treated water for more than a few seconds. You could, however, catch an STD from having unprotected sex in a swimming pool or hot tub.

Read on to find out if STDs can be transmitted in a pool or hot tub, as well as the risk factors to consider when having sex in a body of water.

Can You Get STDs From a Swimming Pool?

It is nearly impossible to get an STD from simply being in, or swimming in, a pool. There are two main reasons as to why. Firstly, STDs struggle to survive outside of the body for any length of time. The majority of STDs are transmitted as bacteria or viruses that only survive whilst inside the body, on the body or in bodily fluids. 

When they leave the body, bacteria from STDs die almost instantly. The same applies to sharing toilet seats, towels, cups, or bedding – bacteria can’t survive on them long enough to transmit an infection. The only time they are transmitted is through intimate sexual contact where bodily fluids are exchanged.

Secondly, most swimming pools are treated with chlorine. Chlorine is designed to kill all threatening organisms, including bacteria, from STDs. Chlorine is not always successful at removing the most stubborn bacteria or viruses but it will almost certainly be successful at killing off sexually transmitted infections that are not capable of surviving outside the body.

These two factors combined mean that there have never been any confirmed reports of someone catching an STD from taking a swim.

Can You Get STDs From a Hot Tub?

Much like in swimming pools, you also can’t catch an STD from sharing a hot tub. Again, the bacteria carrying the sexually transmitted infection can’t survive outside of the body for long enough to infect you. Hot tubs are also treated with a mix of chemicals, including chlorine, which is designed to kill off any unwanted germs. 

Learn more about which surfaces you can and can’t catch an infection from in this helpful blog: Can You Catch an STI From a Toilet Seat?

Can STDs Be Transmitted Whilst in Water?

Whilst you can’t catch an STD simply from being in the same swimming pool or hot tub as someone with a sexually transmitted infection, you definitely can catch (and transmit) an STD by having intercourse or sexual contact whilst in a pool or hot tub.

Having sex in a swimming pool is no more risky than having sex in the bedroom when it comes to STDs. Wearing a condom will greatly reduce the risk of catching most STDs whether you’re in a swimming pool or your own bed. That said, swimming pools aren’t the best place to engage in sexual activity (or the best place to put on a condom) for a number of reasons!

Why Shouldn’t You Have Sex in the Water?

Whist sex in a jacuzzi, swimming pool, or the sea might seem like a sexy idea in the spur of the moment, there are a number of reasons why we wouldn’t recommend it:

Lubrication

Trust us, sex in a pool or hot tub is definitely not as sexy as it might seem on TV. What you probably don’t realise is the water in the swimming pool is likely to remove your body’s natural lubrication. Particularly for women, this can make pool or hot tub sex a little uncomfortable, and may even result in some friction burn the next day. Ensure you use a silicone-based lubricant, as water-based lube will wash away in a pool.

Infection

We’re not talking about sexually transmitted infections here, but general water-borne infections. Swimming pools aren’t the cleanest when you consider the level of traffic they get from sweaty sun-creamed holidaymakers. Granted, swimming in the water carries a risk already, but having sex in the water may increase the risk of diseases like:

• Legionella
• E. coli 
• Salmonella
• Camplobacter 
• Pseudomonas
• Norovirus

Irritation

The chlorine and other chemicals in the pool, or even salt in the sea, can irritate your genitals. By having sex, women are exposing more of the sensitive skin in and around the genital area to these chemicals. This can cause redness and itching that you won’t notice until afterwards.

Protection

If you’re having sex with someone for the first time, you’re definitely going to want to use a condom. If you’re in the swimming pool, where do you fit in using a condom? Do you get out of the swimming pool first? Do you sit on the edge and put it on? It’s a logistical nightmare! Even if you get a condom on successfully, condoms are more likely to break or slip off underwater.

Plus, it’s unlikely that you have even been organised enough in the first place to bring a condom to the pool, and unprotected sex can be an even riskier game to play!

Stay Safe With Your Sexual Health

So, whilst you can’t get an STD from simply being in a pool or jacuzzi with someone, think twice this summer before getting frisky – you can still catch an STD from having sex in the water. If you have symptoms of an STD, you must get tested as soon as it is safe to do so. Here at Your Sexual Health, we have over 150+ clinics located across the UK, with instant and postal tests available too! Get started by browsing our range of STI tests.

Related Questions

Can You Get Trichomoniasis From a Swimming Pool?

Trichomoniasis (sometimes referred to as Trich) is a lesser-known STI but is no less common than the likes of chlamydia or gonorrhoea. You cannot catch trichomoniasis through non-sexual contact, such as swimming pools or hot tubs as the bacteria cannot survive outside the body.

Learn more in our helpful blog: Can You Catch Trichomoniasis if Nobody Cheated?

Can You Get Chlamydia Or Gonorrhoea From a Pool?

No, unless you are having sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual activity in a pool, you cannot get chlamydia or gonorrhoea. This is because the bacteria can’t be transmitted outside of direct contact with infected genitals or genital fluid. Plus, the chlorine in the pool is likely to kill any bacteria present in the water.

Learn more by reading one of these helpful blogs: How Do You Get Chlamydia Without Being Sexually Active? And How Do You Catch Gonorrhoea?