Safer Sex 101

If you're like most people, you probably have a lot going on in your life. Life tends to take up a lot of time.
Who wants to deal with a sexually transmitted infection on top of everything else?

Unfortunately, infections are a definite concern for people who are sexually active. But the good news is that there are many ways to reduce your risk.

Breaking It Down

Not all sexually transmitted infections are transmitted in the same way, and different types of sex play can put you at risk for different infections.

If you have unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse you are at high risk for:

• chlamydia
• cytomegalovirus (CMV)
• gonorrhea
• hepatitis B virus
• herpes simplex virus
• human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• human papilloma virus (HPV)
• pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• pubic lice
• syphilis
• scabies
• trichomoniasis

If you have unprotected oral sex you are at high risk for:

• CMV
• gonorrhea
• herpes

If you have sex play without sexual intercourse, you are at risk for:

• CMV
• herpes
• HPV
• pubic lice
• scabies

Infections that can be passed by kissing include:

• CMV
• herpes
• syphilis

Reducing Your Risk

Safer sex is anything you do to reduce your risk of infection. The basic safer sex rule is to prevent contact with one another's body fluids, especially semen, blood, and vaginal secretions.

Unprotected vaginal and anal intercourse have the highest risks for the most dangerous sexually transmitted infections. If you do have vaginal or anal intercourse, use a latex or female condom to reduce the risk of infection.

To further reduce the risk of infection during oral sex, use a condom to cover the penis, or a Sheer Glyde dam, plastic wrap, or cut-open condom to cover the vulva or anus.

Abstinence — not having any sex play — is the only thing that is 100 percent effective against infection, but there are many types of sex play that are considered lower-risk activities. These include

• manual stimulation — "hand jobs"
• mutual masturbation — phone sex, cybersex, watching each other
• erotic massage
• body rubbing
• kissing
• oral sex
• vaginal intercourse with a latex or female condom
• anal intercourse with a latex or female condom

While some infections can only be transmitted by exchanging body fluids, others can also be transmitted through sex play that involves skin-to-skin contact, such as body rubbing without clothes. Don't have sexual contact with a partner who has visible sores like the ones that appear during an outbreak of herpes or syphilis.

The Infection Low-Down

Many people don't think they're at risk for sexually transmitted infections, but the truth is, two-thirds of people who have had sexually transmitted infections became infected before age 25!

Abstinence is the most effective way to avoid infection, but people who are sexually active can greatly reduce their risk of infection by practicing safer sex, using condoms, seeing a health care provider regularly, and understanding how infections are transmitted.

If you decide to be sexually active, decide what risks you want to take and the ones you don't want to take. Stick to your decisions. And stay healthy!

by Ellen Friedrichs and Jon Knowles