Safer sex is a way to help you avoid an infection spread through sex. It can also help prevent pregnancy. It may seems strange or uncomfortable to talk about sex. But the more you know, the safer you are. And the actions you take before sex can help keep you from getting an infection like herpes or a deadly infection like HIV.

You can get a sexually transmitted infection (STI) from any kind of sexual contact, not just intercourse. STIs are spread through skin-to-skin contact between the genitals. You can also get an STI from contact with body fluids such as semen, vaginal fluids, and blood (including menstrual blood). This means you can get an STI from vaginal sex, anal sex, or oral sex.

You may have heard this before, but not having sex at all is still the best way to prevent pregnancy and any STI.