Protecting Yourself
The fact is that anyone who is having unprotected sex is at higher risk of picking up an STI. It makes no difference whether you're young or old, straight or gay, do it once in a while or all night every night, so it makes sense to make your sex safer.
Safe sex is great sex!!
What is Safe Sex?
Safe sex (also called safer sex or protected sex) is any sexual contact that does not involve any exchange of bodily fluids such as blood, semen or vaginal fluids. It's all about being safer from STIs and from unwanted pregnancy. Condoms, latex gloves and/or dams are the best ways to reduce your risk of getting an STI, but they are not foolproof. You've got to use them correctly every time you have sex and it's important to know that while they are very effective against HIV transmission, they don't protect you from all STI's, especially the ones that are transmitted by skin to skin contact.
Safer sex activities with minimal or no risk include:
- Hugging
- Kissing
- Rubbing against each other
- Mutual masturbation
- Using sex toys (not shared)
- Fantasising
- Cyber/phone sex
- Caressing/massage
Safer sex activities with some risk include:
- Oral sex (made safer using a condom or dam)
- Sexual intercourse with a condom
Unsafe sex activities include:
- Sexual intercourse without a condom
- Anything that allows blood contact
- Sharing sex toys
How to be safer
- Use a condom every time you have sex. Only condoms provide 'all-in-one' protection. They not only protect against unintended pregnancy and HIV, they also greatly reduce the risk of getting an STI. Condoms and dams can also be used when engaging in oral sex.
- It may seem obvious, but the more sexual partners you have the more chance you have of getting an STI.
- Talk to your partner before you decide you don't need condoms anymore. Even if you've been with someone for a while, don't give up using a condom until you've both had a check-up. Some of the most common STIs have no noticeable symptoms, so it's best to be sure, before you decide you don't need condoms any more.
- Always carry condoms with you when you go out, not just when you are going to a party or a club. Sex isn't something you always plan in advance.
- Because many STIs don't have symptoms, the only way to know for sure that you are STI free, is to get tested. If you are sexually active have a sexual health checkup once a year. If you are having sex with multiple partners consider getting tested every three months.
Some information on this page sourced from http://www.condomshop.com.au