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Safer sex is about understanding and reducing the risks of acquiring or passing on sexually transmitted infections when you have sex. |
| You never know whether your sex partner may have HIV, and he may not know it either. The number of gay men with HIV has doubled in the UK in ten years, and men who have sex with men remain the group at greatest risk of getting infected with HIV here. Research suggests that as many as a third of gay men with the virus do not know they have been infected. |
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| The riskiest activity for men having sex with men is unprotected anal sex. The best way in which you can protect yourself is to use a condom when having sex. |
| Condoms can help protect you from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Make sure you know how to get them, store them and use them properly. |
| Ten Top Tips for Safer Sex! |
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Keep a stock of condoms and lube, and spread them around – in the bedroom, in the living-room, in the car – you never know where the fancy might take you and your partner! |
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Always use condoms with the British Standard Kitemark or the EEC Standard (CE) Mark, and check the expiry date – like your looks, they don’t last forever... |
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Don’t keep your condoms in a warm place like a wallet or near a radiator – they can deteriorate! |
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Always use a water-based lube like Liquid Silk, KY or ID Glide. Oil-based lubes quickly damage latex condoms and render them useless – though you could try a non-latex, oil-friendly condom instead. |
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Never use a condom more than once. (You don’t want to get a reputation for being tight-fisted, do you?) |
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Sex toys like dildos are very safe – but if you share them, use a condom. |
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When you’re opening the condom, don’t use your teeth or nails, and check that the packaging is undamaged. |
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Don’t put two condoms on, one on top of the other – the friction will damage them both!. |
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Don’t put lube on your penis before the condom goes on, that will make it easier to slip off. |
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If you’re having a long session check the condom is still on OK, and change it after a while. |
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| Check out our Sexual Health section for more information, and have a look at these links for more stuff on Safer Sex. |
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