# How sick do you have to be before you're not horny. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435 "2010-09-11T21:15:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![imfloating](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bc79bd/32.png) [@imfloating](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imfloating)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/41 "2010-09-14T00:39:15Z")
Well I’m Hot Blooded, check it and see, I got a fever of a hundred and three ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/42 "2010-09-14T00:42:20Z")
> [@InterestedObserver](#): > > But isn’t it often the case that by the time you have symptoms (as with a cold or flu or chicken pox or measles, to name a few which come to mind) you have been contagious for a time already and (often) no longer are? Or at least not as highly infectious as you were prior to feeling ill? Yes, for many, if not most, infections, you are contagious before you have symptoms. However, you are still contagious once you have symptoms AND you are generating all kinds of contagious fluids. From an epi perspective, we tell people to stay home when they are ill to stop transmission. Having sex is right at the top of the list of Things Not to Do. It just never occurred to me that so many people would have sex when they are sick. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/43 "2010-09-14T03:40:19Z")
> [@imfloating](#): > > Well I’m Hot Blooded, check it and see, > I got a fever of a hundred and three You have syphilis. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/44 "2010-09-14T06:02:27Z")
If I’ve got a fever, I usually get the achy joints…especially in the thighs. Makes me hornier than just about anything. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/45 "2010-09-14T08:57:19Z")
Death. I was close to death once, when my appendix ruptured. Unbelievable pain, fever, nausea, etc. As I was staggering to the desk in the ER, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from a hot orderly. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/46 "2010-09-14T17:13:19Z")
Chemo completely killed any libido I had. Any touch, even sheets, made me sore and irritable. And the puking nonstop didn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/47 "2010-09-16T16:25:37Z")
Male here. I’m not particularly horny when I don’t feel good, especially if I’m feeling queasy or have impending intestinal requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/48 "2010-09-17T12:14:46Z")
Many years ago I came home from the tropics with a dreadful skin fungal disease. It affected mainly my hands and feet. The treatment back then was bathing in Condies Crystals (Yes- I was a very dark shade- not quite purple). During the day I was in a hospital bed with drips of Condies Crystals on my hands and feet. I can’t go to the toilet by myself so the nurses had to bring in a botlte and lift my old fellow into it. There was on particularly attractive nurse and when she did it the inevitable happened. So I guess I would be near death before it would all be under control. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/49 "2010-09-17T13:43:23Z")
It depends on the nature of the illness. As others have said, any type of stomach/GI thing if a game killer for me. If it’s a cold/flu thing, it depends on the severity. If I’m afraid I’m going to die, them bring on the cooter. If I wish I could just go ahead and die, then leave me the hell alone. Chances are your touch is going to be annoying at best. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/50 "2010-09-17T14:54:09Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > > [@imfloating](#): > > > > Well I’m Hot Blooded, check it and see, > > I got a fever of a hundred and three > > You have syphilis. \*Funny \*syphilis, no doubt. ---
**Author:** ![FrigidLizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@FrigidLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrigidLizard)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435/51 "2010-09-17T17:59:49Z")
I’m not usually interested in doing any sort of physical activity when I am sick; Mr. Lizard, on the other hand, wants to have sex almost every time he gets the flu. I think it’s all the attention and womanly fussing I do for him, it makes him feel affectionate and then amorous. I’ve been physically pulled into the sick bed many times. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-sick-do-you-have-to-be-before-youre-not-horny/553435.md?page=2)