by Craig Williamson

Created on: March 04, 2009

I'm sure by now every single one of us has heard the talk on the dangers of unprotected sex, yet still every year there are more and more cases of not only unwanted pregnancies but of a myriad of diseases. HIV certainly gets a great deal of attention around the world, but there are many other diseases that can also be deadly, or at least extremely annoying and painful. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis are only a few of the more well known diseases. With that in mind, lets take a look at what is "safe" sex and what practices are not as safe as many believe.

First of all, no sex can be completely safe. Even with a condom, there is always a chance that a sexually transmitted disease could spread due to a number of reasons. First, many people do not know how to use a condom properly. Though condom use is not really that difficult, many people break the condoms by attempting to pull and stretch them over the penis rather than simply placing the condom at the tip of the penis and gently rolling it downwards. Every package of condoms has clear instructions on how to do this. If you still don't know, I suggest you buy yourself a pack of condoms and practice at home (if you are male that is).

Condoms can also break if they are used for long periods of time. So, if you and your partner are really having a great time together, stop every hour or so and replace the condom. Also, and this is especially important if you practice anal sex, use lots of lubrication. Condoms, if dry, can break. But, remember that you need to use a water soluble lubricant, that is lubricant...not butter, Vaseline or skin creams. Lubricant is widely available in pharmacies and grocery stores.

Other problems with condoms can exist. If the condom is old (always check the date on the box) it could become fragile and break during sex. Or the condom can be damaged by heat and friction especially if you have been keeping it in your pocket or in your wallet. Let me emphasise this one: never keep a condom in your back pocket! Really, it should be common sense. Heat+friction= damage to condom which leads to breakage and chance of disease.

Now, turning away from condoms for a moment and onto what practices are really not so safe at all. I've heard so many people speak of oral sex as though it were safe. It is not safe to have unprotected oral/genital sex. Though HIV is difficult to catch in this way, other diseases are not. Chlamydia, syphilis the dreaded hepatitis variants and even (in rare cases) HPV through

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