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February 9, 2012 |
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Image:Pride 2004 stop aids project.jpg|thumb|250px|Stop AIDS Project marchers at San Francisco Gay pride|Pride 2004. Safe sex, also called safer sex, is a set of practices designed to reduce the risk of sustaining or imparting sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) (also known as sexually-transmitted diseases or STDs). Conversely, unsafe sex refers to the participation in a sexual relationship without the benefit or use of any contraceptive or preventive measures against STIs. Safer sex practices became prominent in the late 1980s as a result of the AIDS epidemic. From the viewpoint of society, safer sex can be regarded as a harm reduction strategy. Safe sex is about risk reduction, not complete risk elimination. Recently, and mostly within the US|United States, the use of the term safer sex rather than safe sex has gained greater use by health workers, with the realization the grounds that risk of transmission of sexually-transmitted infections in various sexual activities is a continuum rather than a simple dichotomy between risky and safe. However, in most other countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia, the term safe sex is still mainly used by sex educators. Because these terms are virtually synonymous with each other, they will be used interchangeably throughout this article. Much attention has focused on controlling HIV, which causes AIDS, through the use of condoms, but each STI presents a different predicament. However, sex educators recommend that some form of barrier protection as a harm reduction measure should be used for all sexual activities which might potentially result in the exchange of body fluids. Abstinence Sexual abstinence, while it virtually eliminates the risk of STIs or pregnancy, is technically not a method of pursuing "safer sex". It is, however, an option which eliminates risk of STI transmission. Solitary masturbation (including so-called "phone sex" and "cybersex") is safe, since it does not involve contact with a different person's bodily fluids. Two exceptions are: playing with one's own body fluids during masturbation and autofellatio both of which can spread an infection between various parts of the body. Controlling social factors Outside of total abstinence and masturbation, proponents of safer sex recommend that some of the following methods can minimize the risks of STI transmission and pregnancy during sexual activity.
Preventing fluid exchange Avoiding any contact with blood, vaginal fluid, and semen of the partner: # Use condoms. Condoms cover the penis during sexual activity. They are most frequently made of latex, but can also be made out of polyurethane for those who have a latex allergy, or they can be made out of animal intestine. Polyurethane is thought to be a safe material for use in condoms, since it is nonporous and viruses cannot pass through it. However, there is less research on its effectiveness than there is on latex. Any condoms made out of animal skin or intestine, such as Trojan NaturaLamb, are not thought to be safe because they are porous and viruses such as HIV can pass through them. (See the article on condoms for a more detailed treatment of condom use.) # Condom#Female condoms|Female condom. This condom is inserted into the vagina prior to intercourse. It is also sometimes used for anal sex. # Dental dam. A sheet of latex (originally used for dentistry) for protection when engaging in oral sex. It is typically used as a barrier between the mouth and the vagina during cunnilingus or between the mouth and the anus during anilingus. A piece of plastic wrap (such as Saran (plastic)|Saran wrap) may also be used as a dental dam; Saran wrap has been tested by the FDA and CDC and found effective in preventing the transmission of virus-sized particles, although "microwave-safe" wrap may be ineffective. Latex condoms may also be cut to form an improvised dental dam. # Medical gloves. Gloves made out of latex, vinyl, nitrile rubber|nitrile, or polyurethane may be used as dental dams during oral sex, or to protect the hands during mutual masturbation. Hands may have invisible cuts on them that may admit pathogens that are found in semen or vaginal fluids. Although the risk of infection in this manner is thought to be low, some people use gloves as an extra precaution. Gloves also make mutual masturbation more comfortable by preventing sharp fingernails from accidentally scratching the genitalia. # Another way to avoid contact with blood and semen is outercourse (non-penetrative sex), or forms of penetration that do not involve a penis, such as the use of dildos (when cleaned or covered with condoms), especially strap-on dildos when thrusting is desired. Note that most methods of contraception (birth control) other than the barrier methods mentioned above are not effective at preventing the spread of STIs. The spermicide Nonoxynol-9 has been claimed to reduce the likelihood of STI transmission. However a recent study by the World Health Organisation http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/rhr_03_8/Nonoxynol_9.pdf has shown that Nonoxynol-9 is an irritant and can produce tiny tears in mucous membranes, which may increase the risk of transmission by offering pathogens more easy points of entry into the system. As a result condoms with a Nonoxynol-9 lubricant are not to be promoted. However it is better to use a condom with Nonoxynol-9 than no condom at all. Coitus interruptus (or "pulling out"), in which the penis is removed from the vagina, anus, or mouth before ejaculation, is not safe sex and can result in STI transmission or pregnancy. This is because of the formation of pre-ejaculate, a fluid (which may contain sperm) that oozes from the urethra before actual ejaculation. In addition, open sores on either partner can permit transmission. This does reduce the chance of STI transmission, however, and is sometimes recommended as a harm reduction strategy for those habitually engaging in unsafe intercourse. Some conservatives object to the "safer sex" movement on the grounds that it promotes what they hold to be immoral and high-risk behavior, namely sex outside of marriage. This, they argue, increases rather than decreases the risk of contracting STDs. They believe that the best way to avoid sexual disease is abstinence before marriage followed by lifelong mutual fidelity thereafter. By way of contrast, proponents of the safer sex movement contend that it is often difficult to compel adolescents to refrain from sexual activity, and impossible to compel adults to remain sexually monogamous. They conclude that it is better to offer comprehensive sexual education involving "safer sex" techniques as a practical measure rather than risk infection or pregnancy to uphold a moral ideal. Some studies show that adolescence|adolescents who make an external commitment to maintain their virginity until marriage have similar rates of STI infection as those who have not made an external commitment.http://my.webmd.com/content/article/102/106704.htm Other studies show that the effect of virginity pledges typically include the delay of vaginal sexual intercourse by 12 to 18 months, but with decreased likelihood of condom use at the first encounter.http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/102/106704.htm?pagenumber=2 Additionally, those who commit to sexual abstinence are more likely to participate in oral sex|oral and anal sex than those who have not made that commitment. However, the pro-abstinence Heritage Foundation states that "pledgers" are 40% less likely to have children outside of marriage. In the US, some have claimed that condoms are ineffective against HIV transmission, particularly during anal sex. These claims have been disputed by many medical researchers, who view correctly used condoms as effective protection. Some studies have shown that, even with the best of intentions, condom users can often use condoms improperly, so that the transmission rate remains disturbingly high. Advocates of safe sex education point out that it has to start at an early age to be effective, a notion which arouses even heavier opposition from conservatives given the taboo of child sexuality.
AIDS Category:HIV/AIDS Category:Sexual health <!-- The below are interlanguage links. --> bg:?????????????????? ???????? cs:Bezpe??n?? sex de:Safer Sex es:Sexo seguro fr:S??curi-sexe id:Seks aman nl:Veilige seks zh:??????????????? This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Safe sex".
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