Safer Sex ("Safe Sex")

Safer Sex ("Safe Sex") at a Glance

• Reduces our risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD)
• Using condoms makes vaginal or anal intercourse safer sex
• Using condoms or other barriers makes oral sex safer sex
• Having sex play without intercourse can be even safer sex
• Safer sex can be very pleasurable and exciting

We all care about protecting ourselves and the ones we love. For sexually active people that means practicing safer sex. We can use it to reduce our risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It lets us protect ourselves — and our partners — while we enjoy sex play with them. Safer sex is for responsible people who care about their and their partners' pleasure and health.

What Is Safer Sex?

Safer sex is anything we do during sex play to reduce our risk of getting an infection. Even though a lot of people say "safe sex" instead of "safer sex," there is no kind of skin-to-skin sex play with a partner that is totally risk-free. But being "safer" is something all of us can do.

These are the most important ways to practice safer sex:

• Understand and be honest about the risks we take.
• Keep our blood, pre-cum, semen, or vaginal fluids out of each other's bodies.
• Always use latex or female condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse.
• Don't have sex play when we have a sore caused by a sexually transmitted disease.
• Find ways to make safer sex as pleasurable as possible.