Having safe sex it is a right as well as a duty. Now that there are numerous ways to have safe sex, the chances of contracting can be reduced to zero sexually transmitted infections or diseases (STIs or STDs).
Towards zero, however, means that there is no absolute certainty of being protected from certain risks. Some sexually transmitted diseases are mainly transferred through the exchange of body fluids (saliva, vaginal fluid, anal secretions, blood …) and others also through the skin-to-skin contactas in activities considered “low risk”, for example the dry humpingor the rubbing of the genitals against those of the partner, with the barrier of clothing.
«Assessing the risk when it comes to sex is actually quite complicated – he explains in an interview published on Vice the doctor Kate Whiteassociate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine – Most people experiment different ways of having sex during the same meeting. Therefore, it is difficult to know what sexual act it was that could have led to an infection. For example, it is difficult to determine the risk of transmitting STDs from finger penetration alone, as this practice is often accompanied by oral sex or games with sex toys.
At present, very few studies have looked at the risk of contracting a STI (other than HIV) from doing cunnilingus or analingus – White continues – But some data are clear: it is possible that those who engage in cunnilingus or analingus then transmit an IST to their partner. Just as it is possible to have a STI in more than one area of the body at the same time (such as the mouth and genitals) and some of these can then spread throughout the body. Additionally, analingus can lead to the transmission of hepatitis A and B, as well as intestinal parasites and bacteria such as E. coli.
It is thought that the risk of contract HIV from oral sex with a partner who has the infection is much lower than the risk of contracting HIV from anal or vaginal sex – says White – But we still can’t quantify the exact risk percentage. Just as we know that you can get herpes, HPV, syphilis and hepatitis A from skin-to-skin contact or chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV and herpes from oral sex. ”
Definitely, the degree of risk is defined by the couple themselvesundergoing regular tests and checks (even more so, if you are addicted to casual sex) and a good degree of communication And dialogueparticularly if the torque is stable.
But what if you are single? Or part of a fluid or open bond? Or again, if it happens to have sex with another woman or in any case, with who has a vulva? How do you protect yourself in these cases? There are gods barrier and contraception methods effective to protect yourself. And once again, it is there clear communication to increase the safety of the sexual encounter: immediately clarify with the partner or partners what you are willing to do, and therefore the type of risks you want (or not) to expose yourself to.
But before moving on to analyzing the barrier methods – which you can find below by scrolling the article to the end – it is good to make some general recommendations.
If you or your partner have any wounds or of open injuries (for example, from herpes or syphilis), avoid contact of any kind with those points. People who suffer from genital herpes they can hire a antiviral drug daily to make transmission less likely (although this does not become impossible anyway).
As for theHPV, almost all sexually active people will contract it later in life, according to scientific studies. In 9 out of 10 cases it goes away on its own and causes no symptoms, but for some people, HPV can cause genital warts or some types of cancer, like the one in the cervix. Fortunately, the papilloma virus is not necessarily a lifelong condition like herpes; the majority of people clears the infection within two years. But it is highly recommendable to do the HPV vaccine (to this link all the necessary information).
Finally, it is prudent get tested regularly. This means once a yearif you have not been sexually active for a long time or perform them at a week away after every time you have a meeting with a new partner.
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Women’s health: check-ups to be done at 20, 30, 40 and 50 years old
Source: Vanity Fair
