Iye Blog

Abstain from Sex

You can contract STIs from vaginal, anal, and oral sex. The only way to be 100% sure you’ll prevent an unplanned pregnancy or an STI is to not have sex, or to abstain.

This is normally practice by people who have personal reasons for not having sex and practicing celibacy base on religious belief or their emotional or mental state.

Making a decision to abstain from sex until you’re emotionally and physically ready is good. Share this decision with any partners, too, as a way to keep yourself accountable.

Sharing your decision to abstain from sex until you’re in a committed, monogamous relationship opens up channels for discussion with your partner and can help the two of you be more honest about your sexual health. 

Limit the number of Partners

This fact is simple: The more people you are sexually involved with, the more likely you are to get an STI or to get pregnant.

Limit your number of sexual partners. Each new partner brings a history of other sexual partners, sexual encounters, and potential infections. If you’re not in a monogamous relationship, being smart about your sexual encounters can help keep you safe.

Be Monogamous in a relationship

Apart from abstinence, the best way to prevent contracting an STI is to be part of a long-term, one-partner relationship. As long as the two of you remain faithful to one another, you may reach a point in your relationship where you decide to have sex without barrier protection.

(If one of you has an STI, you may want to continue using barrier protection, even if you’re monogamous, to prevent transmitting the infection.) However, this only works if both of you remain monogamous. If your partner begins having sexual encounters outside your relationship, you may contract STIs without knowing it. 

Use protection for all sexual encounters

You can only get pregnant from vaginal sex, of course, but you can contract an STI from vaginal, anal, and oral sex. For that reason, protection is a must at any sexual encounter.

Using male condoms or dental dams can help keep you from contracting an STI, such as HIV, during oral sex. Male condoms can also prevent sharing an STI during anal sex. Both female and male condoms are good for vaginal sex, but do not use them together.

Becareful of the products you use

Don’t be quick to use a douche or vaginal wash. These products can remove normal, healthy bacteria—bacteria that could actually help prevent an infection. If you use these washes frequently, you increase your risk of getting an STI.

Use a lubricant when you have sex. Condoms can tear or rip if you or your partner is not properly lubricated. Lubricants can also prevent skin tearing during sex. Open skin is an avenue for sharing STIs. Use water- or silicone-based lubricants, not oil-based lubricants. Oil-based lubricants can actually increase the risk of a condom tearing. Read all directions on the condom box to make sure you’re using it properly.