Is Oral Sex Safer Sex?

Is Oral Sex Safer Sex?

When it comes to HIV, oral sex is safer sex than vaginal or anal intercourse. But other infections, like herpes, syphilis, hepatitis B, gonorrhea, and HPV can be passed by oral sex. Use condoms or Sheer Glyde dams to make oral sex safer.

How Can I Use Sheer Glyde or Dental Dams to Make Oral Sex Safer?

Dental dams are small, thin, square pieces of latex used to protect the throat during certain kinds of dental work. They can also be placed on the vulva or the anus when the mouth, lips, or tongue are used to sexually arouse a partner. Like the condom, dams keep partners' body fluids out of each other's bodies. They also prevent skin-to-skin contact. A special kind of dam, the Sheer Glyde dam, has been approved by the FDA especially for safer sex. Like dental dams, Sheer Glyde dams are available online, in some drugstores, and at many Planned Parenthood health centers.

If Sheer Glyde dams or dental dams aren't handy, you can use plastic wrap or a cut-open condom.

How Can I Have Safer Sex with My Sex Toys?

Many people like sex toys — dildos, vibrators, strap-ons, butt plugs, and more. These toys need special care. Unless they're kept clean between uses, they can build up bacteria, which can cause an infection. And if they're shared between partners, they can pass along sexually transmitted infections.

The best way to keep sex toys clean and safe is to protect them with a condom. The condom should be changed whenever the toy is passed from partner to partner or from one body opening to another — mouth, anus, or vagina.

If you don't use condoms to keep a sex toy clean, it's important to clean it before and after every use. Sex toys are made of many different materials — silicone, rubber, vinyl, stainless steel, acrylic, etc. Some toys can be soaked in water — and some cannot. Read the instructions on the package carefully. Never use breakable household objects, like glass bottles, as sex toys.

Keeping your sex toys clean will help them last longer, and they'll give you pleasure instead of infections!

How Can I Use Lubricant for Safer Sex?

A good lubricant can go a long way in making sure that safer sex is pleasurable and fun. Lubricant is important in safer sex because it also makes condoms and dams slippery and less likely to break. Lubricants make safer sex feel better by cutting down on the dry kind of friction that a lot of people find irritating.

When buying lube, it's important to find the right kind — one that works for you and for your condom. Never use oil-based lube with a latex or non-latex rubber condom. Use only water or silicone-based lube with latex and non-latex rubber condoms. Read the package insert if you have any questions about what you can use.