Safer sex
The most important thing you can do for your sexual health is to practice safe sex with a condom every time you are sexually active. Safe sex not only protects against unplanned pregnancy, it is key to reducing your risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
If you don’t protect yourself from STIs, you are putting your health at risk, as well as the health of your partner. Most STIs can be cured and others can be controlled. Some infections, such as HIV, have a lifelong impact on your health and can cause many significant or possibly life threatening complications.
STIs and HIV can affect anyone. Many people do not display any symptoms, or the symptoms may not appear for weeks, months or even years after you have been infected. You could unknowingly infect a partner if you have ever had unprotected sex and have not been tested. The only way to know if you, or your partner, have an STI is to get tested.
Related information
This item was last modified on August 22, 2017