| • Overview |
| • Sexual Acts |
| • Condoms |
| • Female Condoms |
| • Statistics |
| • Counseling |
| • FAQ's |
| • Condom Wearing Process |
| • Safe Sex Quiz |
| • Condom Quiz |
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the suggestions for a safe sex life? What is Safe Sex? What is safer sex? What are some safer sex practices? What about kissing? Can you become infected by kissing someone who has HIV? How safe is oral sex? Is the person receiving oral sex also at risk? How is HIV spread through anal sex? What do I do if a condom breaks? How can I talk to my partner about safer sex practices? How can I tell my boyfriend/girlfriend that I do not want to have sex? What are risky behaviours?
Safe
sex refers to sexual activities, which do not involve any sexual
fluid from one person getting into another person's body. If two
people are having safe sex then even if one person is infected there
is no possibility of the other person becoming infected. Safe sex
activities include hugging, touching, caressing and mutual masturbation.
Safer
sex is used to refer to a range of sexual activities that hold little
risk of HIV infection or other sexually transmitted diseases. Safer
sex is often taken to mean using a condom for sexual intercourse.
Using a condom makes it very hard for the virus to pass between
people when they are having sexual intercourse. A condom, when used
properly, acts as a physical barrier that prevents infected fluid
getting into the other person's bloodstream.
Safer
sex can include having anal or vaginal sex using a condom or oral
sex using a dental dam. Safer sex can also include kissing, touching,
massage, and masturbation.
Kissing
someone on the cheek, also known as social kissing, does not pose
any risk of HIV transmission. Deep or open-mouthed kissing is considered
a very low risk activity for transmission of HIV. This is because
HIV is present in saliva but only in very minute quantities, insufficient
to lead to HIV infection alone.
However,
there is a possibility of HIV infection as a result of kissing.
This is because of infected blood getting into the mouth of the
other person during open-mouthed kissing. If you or your partner
has blood in your mouth, you should avoid kissing until the bleeding
stops.
Unprotected
oral sex without ejaculation is considered low risk for transmitting
HIV. However, unprotected oral sex puts one at a high risk for contracting
other sexually transmitted diseases such as Gonorrhea, Syphilis,
Herpes, Chlamydia, and Hepatitis B. A protective barrier such as
a latex condom/female condom or dental dam will greatly reduce one's
risk of contracting any of these STD's as well as offer protection
from contracting HIV.
If
a woman's partner is infected and has any cuts or ulcers in the
mouth, HIV-infected blood from her partner may come into direct
contact with the cells of her vagina. For a man receiving oral sex,
there is the possibility that infected blood from his partner's
mouth may come into contact with his urethra or with cuts on his
penis.
During
anal sex, a man's penis penetrates the anus of his partner and comes
in direct contact with the rectum. The virus can enter the body
directly through the cells of the rectal wall. Also, the walls of
the rectum are very thin and can tear easily from the motion that
occurs during anal sex, causing bleeding. The virus then has direct
contact with the bloodstream.
You
can usually feel it when a condom breaks, if this occurs immediately
stop sexual activity. The man should hold the base of the condom
firmly and pull it out as soon as possible. Before resuming sexual
activity, the man should wash his penis and put on another condom.
The
best way to bring this up with someone whom you have been with for
a while is just to start talking about AIDS and how you feel about
it. This will naturally bring up the subject of safer sex. You may
want to give you partner a brochure or book on the subject. If you
have just met someone and are thinking about participating in sexual
activity, it is important that you let the person know right up
front that you practice safe sex.
It
is a good idea to be honest from the very start and let your expectations
for the relationship is known upfront. The ability to state your
feelings is the key to open communication about the things that
really matter to you, like not having sex right now. This is also
important when sticking to your safe sex plan on how to avoid being
in situations that can easily lead to sex. If your partner is unwilling
to honor your wishes to remain abstinent, you may choose to end
the relationship right now. Respect for each other's wishes is what
relationships should be built upon. If that is not there, find someone
else to be with who agrees with your standards and respects you.
Be secure in knowing what is best for you and don't compromise that
for anyone!
Risky
behaviors are activities that can greatly increase the chance of
a person being harmed. Five common risk behaviours for adolescents
have been identified by leading governmental medical sources: tobacco,
drugs, alcohol, sex, and violence. Involvement in any of these behaviors
can often lead to involvement in the others with hard lessons learned
and possible life changing results
The
five risky behaviors are like a spider web. It is easy to get stuck
and very hard to get out. Indulging in one risky behavior leads
to another and another. Before you know it you are stuck in the
web with a cigarette in one hand, a beer in the other, the smell
of weed in the background, a girl from your math class is in the
back room having sex, and two drunk guys are about to fight over
some girl! It sounds over-dramatic, but it happens. If you avoid
these five risky behaviors, you can make your teen years a lot easier.
You have enough to manage in trying to get good grades, make friends,
and deal with your parents and other adults in your life. Indulging
in risky behaviors makes things even harder.
Look
at some information about the five risky behaviors. Being informed
is the key to making the best decision for you.
1. TOBACCO
(cigarettes, cigars, dip, chew, - contain the drug nicotine)
2. ALCOHOL
(beer, wine, wine coolers, mixed drinks)
3. SEX (intercourse,
oral sex, anal sex, outer course - all sexual contact)
4. DRUGS (marijuana,
ecstasy, acid, cocaine, rohypnol, GHB, etc.)
Research
has shown that use of club drugs can cause serious health problems
and in some cases, even death. Alcohol combined with drugs can be
even more dangerous
5. VIOLENCE
(bullying, gangs, fights, dating violence)
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