"Contracting STDs Due to Women Exercising Without Underwear"... What Is the Truth About Gym Transmission?

"Infection Difficult Without Close Sexual Contact"
Experts Dismiss Controversy

Recently, claims have emerged overseas that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were contracted through gym towels or exercise equipment. However, experts consider this possibility to be very low.

A woman is exercising at the gym. Stock photo. Pixabay

On the 20th (local time), foreign media including the UK Daily Mail introduced content from a TikToker who claimed, "I was diagnosed with conjunctivitis caused by chlamydia after wiping my eyes with a towel used at a health club." He said, "I was shocked to hear the diagnosis of chlamydia, an STI, because I had never had sexual intercourse," and added, "The doctor said I might have been infected by sweat from someone else on the exercise equipment or towel." Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. If secretions from a person infected with chlamydia come into contact with the eyes, it can cause chlamydial conjunctivitis. If left untreated, this conjunctivitis can lead to blindness.

Additionally, the TikTok user claimed that "women who exercise at the gym wearing only leggings or similar workout clothes without underwear are transferring STIs to the equipment," which sparked controversy.

However, experts dismissed such claims as groundless. They explained that STIs are mostly transmitted through specific routes, and these transmission routes do not apply during normal exercise activities at gyms. Dr. Joe Whittington, an emergency medicine specialist, recently addressed the controversy on his social media, stating, "Chlamydia is mainly transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral sexual contact. The possibility of infection through surface contact is almost nonexistent," and added, "So, unless you do something very unusual with gym equipment, it is safe." Because the bacteria that cause chlamydia cannot survive long outside the body, the likelihood of infection in typical environments is very low.

In the past, similar claims arose in South Korea about contracting STIs through jjimjilbangs (Korean saunas) or gym robes, but even then, experts responded that "STIs are difficult to transmit without very close sexual contact."