How Safe is “Safe?”

Unlike the world of baseball, it’s not always clear what’s considered “safe” in the world of sex. And unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), sex doesn’t include umpires to make calls on any given play. So how can sexually active people protect themselves and their partners from STDs? Here’s a beginner’s guide.

First & Second Base: Pretty Safe

The baseball-as-sex metaphor is well established, so we’ll use it here. First and second base (commonly considered kissing and non-genital touching) are among the “safer” types of sexual contact. Specifically:

• STDs like HIV that can be transmitted through fluid swapping are not transmissible through saliva. Mouth-on-mouth action generally requires no special protection to be “safe.”
• Oral herpes is the exception here. And it’s not really an exception because it’s not necessarily an STD. The version of the herpes simplex virus that causes “fever blisters” (HSV-1) can be spread through kissing.

Third Base (Genital Contact): Use Protection

In the mythology of sex, one commonly spread fable is that oral sex is “safer” than vaginal or anal sex. If partners are only trying to avoid pregnancy, this is true. But pretty much any STD that can be transmitted through genital-to-genital contact can be spread via oral-to-genital contact as well. In fact:

• Some STDs (including Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes) can cause infections in non-genital areas of the body, including the throat. Such infections typically happen after unprotected oral sex with an infected partner.
• Condoms and dental dams can reduce the risk of spreading an STD, but they must be used correctly (i.e. they must cover the entire affected area and be worn from the beginning of sexual contact to the end).
• Herpes can manifest itself anywhere on the body. A non-genital, non-oral herpes infection is called a “herpetic whitlow” and can occur when the virus enters broken skin (e.g. around a finger). Under the right conditions, hand-to-genital contact could spread herpes.

Home Base (Vaginal and Anal Sex): Use Protection

Genital-to-genital contact can spread STDs. Most people understand this. But many people aren’t clear about how and when to use protection, or even what classifies as protection. That’s partly because of all the myths that circulate about STDs.

Here’s the truth.

• Most STDs don’t cause symptoms. The CDC estimates that as many as 80% of STDs don’t present any symptoms at all. That means that the only way to find out whether you or your partner is infected is through STD testing. You can’t tell by looking and you can’t tell based on how you feel.
• Most STDs are treatable. Some are curable. Those that cannot be cured (including HIV and herpes) are often rendered less contagious with treatment, meaning that treatment plus condoms can be more effective at prevention than condoms or treatment alone.
• Your likelihood to get infected fluctuates. Having a non-HIV STD makes people more susceptible to contract HIV, and those with HIV and another STD are more likely to spread HIV than those without other STDs. Treating curable STDs is an important way to minimize your risk of spreading and contracting HIV.
• Condoms aren’t foolproof. Ditto for dental dams and female condoms. These are important parts of safer sex, but the only guaranteed way to avoid STDs is to avoid sex.

Bottom line: “safe” sex may not exist (outside mutually monogamous sex between non-infected partners). But actively participating in your sexual health (i.e. getting regular STD tests, treating STDs when necessary, using protection, and communicating with your partner(s)) can make your sex life much safer.

A big thanks to Get STD Tested for providing this fantastic article.

The post When It Comes to STDs, How Safe is “Safe?” appeared first on The Campus Companion.

Related posts:

1. STDs: Why They Call It “Doing The Nasty”
2. STDs in America
3. STD 101: Sex on Campus [Infographic]