A healthy sexual relationship involves love, care and respect for yourself and your partner. It means that both partners consent to sexual activity. It means preventing unwanted pregnancy. It means preventing sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. It means no use of coercion or violence in sexual relations. Intercourse is only safe without the use of alcohol or other drugs before or during sex because these can make you do things you may later regret. Avoiding casual partners, too, falls under the definition of safe sex.
Your sexual relationship is safe if both you and your partner know if and when you were last tested for sexually transmitted infections. If you want to have a safe sexual relationship, be upfront with your partner about using protection as well as what you both like in sex. When you know what your partner enjoys, what excites him or her and what he or she is willing to try, it provides a sense of security, but also greater satisfaction with your sex life.
What is safe sex?
Safe sex is, above all, about behaving sensibly and being safe. Infections can be spread during sexual intercourse when you come into contact with your partner’s sperm, vaginal fluid, skin and mucous membranes, saliva or blood. Safe sex means intercourse where partners do not put each other at risk of sexually transmitted infections.
As well as preventing infections, safe sex will help prevent unwanted pregnancy. Safe sex keeps you healthy and makes sex better.
- Use protection during vaginal, oral, and anal sex.
- Get tested regularly if you are sexually active and ask your partner to do the same.
- Avoid alcohol and drugs during sexual intercourse, as this can reduce your ability to make the right decisions and be responsible.
Only abstinence from sex can be 100% safe, but as most people are sexually active at least during some part of their lives, this is not a viable option.
The article was prepared using the HIV website of the National Institute for Health Development www.hiv.ee and the website of the Estonian Sexual Health Association www.seksuaaltervis.ee.
The Estonian Sexual Health Association is an advocacy organisation for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The National Institute for Health Development is a public research and development institution which conducts research on public health, disease prevention programmes and activities and promotes health.
The article was published in 2022.
