Safe from STI?
| sexual contact | sexual act | safe for STI? |
| anal sex, buggering, assfucking, Greek |
A man uses his penis to penetrate his partner's anus. | Unsafe. Big risk of hepatitis B, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, genital warts, genital herpes, scabies and pubic lice. Always use certified condoms (with CE) and lots of waterbased lubricant, applied inside the anus and on the condom. |
| cunnilingus | Stimulation of the clitoris and vulva with the mouth and tongue. | Unsafe, even if the woman is not menstruating. Risk of hepatitis B, syphilis, genital herpes, genital warts, pubic lice in the case of beards, scabies through intimate contact. The risk can be decreased by using a dental dam.
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| coitus, fucking, sexual intercourse | A man uses his penis to penetrate the woman's vagina, after which they both may or may not climax. | Unsafe. Particularly for women, big risk of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, genital warts, hepatitis B, scabies and pubic lice. Use a male or female condom. |
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rimming |
Stimulation of the anus with the mouth and tongue. |
Safe, unless there is blood caused by anal sex or haemorrhoids. |
| rubbing your bodies together, frottage, faux intercourse | The partners rub their bodies against each other for sexual pleasure; this may take place with clothes on or off. | Safe. There is a risk of scabies and pubic lice if no clothes are worn. |
| coitus interruptus, withdrawal, pulling back | Withdrawal of the penis from the vagina just before ejaculation. | Unsafe. Especially for women, big risk of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, trichomoniasis, genital herpes, genital warts, hepatitis B, scabies and pubic lice. Use a male or female condom. |
| contact between vagina and penis (without coitus) | The partners rub their genitals together or the genitals are in very close contact. | Unsafe on account of mucous membrane contact. Risk of hepatitis B, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, syphilis, genital warts, genital herpes and scabies. Use a male or female condom.
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| fellatio, giving someone a blow job, sucking him off | Stimulation of the penis using the mouth and tongue. | Unsafe. Risk of syphilis, genital herpes, genital warts, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. The risk can be decreased by using a condom or fellatio condom. |
| massaging, stroking | Stroking, caressing and fondling each other (all over the body) with the hands, perhaps with using massage oil as well. | Safe. Use a condom if this leads to 'going all the way'. In that case, make sure that the condom does not come into contact with the massage oil. Oil will damage the condom.
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| masturbation, fingering, pleasuring yourself and/or your partner | Arousing or bringing to orgasm yourself or your partner by stimulating the penis or clitoris. | Safe if you finger or masturbate each other. If secretions from the vagina or rectum, sperm or menstrual blood is passed from the fingers of one partner to the mucous membranes of the other, there is a small chance of acquiring an STI. Intimate physical contact also means a chance of scabies and pubic lice. |
| sado masochism, s.m. | Sadism is becoming sexually excited by hurting or degrading another person. Masochism is taking sexual enjoyment from undergoing degradation and pain. | Safe if no blood flows and no wounds are inflicted; clean all materials and objects thoroughly after use. |
| using sex toys | Arousing or satisfying yourself and/or your partner using sex toys such as dildos or vibrators. | Safe as long as each of you uses your own sex toys or if you clean the toys thoroughly when you change partners. You can also put a condom around them. Change the condom if the toy is used with another partner. Otherwise there is a risk of hepatitis B, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, genital warts and genital herpes. |
| deep (French) kissing, kissing | Using the tongue and the mouth to touch the other person's tongue and the inside of the mouth. | Safe. If one of you has an STI in the mouth, then there is a small risk of gonorrhoea, syphilis, candida and hepatitis B. |
In addition to the forms of sexual contact described above, there are many other variations. It is beyond the scope of this website to discuss all of them here. For all forms of sexual contact, the general rule is that they entail a risk of acquiring an STI, including an HIV infection, if sperm, vaginal secretions or blood of the one partner come into contact with the mucous membranes of the other partner.
