Protecting yourself and your sexual partner from sexually transmitted infections is what practicing safe sex is all about. Practicing safer sex not only keeps your body healthy and happy but it also provides you with peace of mind for an all-around more enjoyable experience.
How can you practice safer sex?
There are several ways you can exercise safer sex:
- Condoms(male or female) for vaginal or anal sex
- Dental dams for oral sex
- Limiting the amount of sexual partners you have
- Using lubricants to prevent tears in skin
- Asking a potential sexual partner about their sexual history and any high risk behaviors before engaging in sexual activity
What diseases are you at risk for when you don’t practice safer sex?
There are different types of STDs that can be passed down during vaginal, oral or anal sex. Some of these can be transmitted simply from skin-to-skin contact while others are carried in blood, semen, and vaginal fluids.
Below are different STIs by the type of sexual encounter needed for transmission.
Vaginal/anal sex:
- Chlamydia
- Gonorrhea
- Hepatitis B
- Herpes
- HIV
- HPV and genital warts
- Pubic lice
- Scabies
- Syphilis
- Trichomoniasis
Lips/mouth/throat:
- Gonorrhea
- Herpes
- Hepatitis B
- HPV
- Syphilis
Skin-to-Skin
- Herpes
- HPV
- Pubic lice
- Scabies
There are lower risk activities that you can partake in like kissing, touching, mutual masturbation, use of toys, and rubbing or stroking that you may still find enjoyable. Other factors that may lower your exposure to STIs is limiting the amount of sexual partners you have, particularly anonymous partners- when you have sex with someone you are exposed to all of the sexual partners that person has had in the past. Remember, the best kind of sex is safe sex, no matter your sexual identity. If you feel you’ve been exposed to an STI, contact your primary care physician for a complete STI screening.
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