When can you resume in-person partnered or multi-partnered sex after more than a year of mumbling, “I’m my safest sex partner!” while rubbing one out?
The answer is probably sooner than you would imagine!
To find out more about safer romping in the era of Rona, continue reading.
First : what precisely is safer sex?
We must first discuss what safer sex is before discussing how to have it during the coronavirus epidemic.
Any meaningful sexual experience that lowers the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is sometimes referred to as safer sex.
The following are typical strategies to lower the risk of STI transmission:
getting tested for STIs on a regular basis, discussing your STI status with your partner or partners, and using an external condom, internal condom, dental dam, or other barrier method
using PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) if you are susceptible to HIV infection
Since no transmission inhibitor is 100% successful, it is referred to as safer sex (with the r) rather than safe sex.
For instance, external condoms are not always effective. According to some studies, they are only 85% successful when human error is taken into account.
Even getting screened for STIs isn’t always successful. This isn’t because the tests aren’t accurate—they are, according to a reliable source—but rather because most physicians don’t screen for every STI or in every potential site of infection.
For instance, until there is an epidemic, many doctors will not test for the herpes simplex virus. Actually, it is discouraged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source.
Likewise, the majority of physicians don’t inquire about a patient’s involvement in
COVID-19 is not a sexually transmitted disease.
To be clear, COVID-19 is not considered a STI, even though it can spread during intercourse like STIs do.
This implies that you are not being screened for COVID-19 even if you are screened for every STI.
Taking a COVID-19 test is the only way to determine whether you have COVID-19.
First, educate yourself
Knowing how the two types of diseases function is the first step towards safer sex during the COVID-19 epidemic.
How COVID-19 is spread
The main way that COVID-19 is transmitted is by coming into touch with respiratory droplets, such as spit, cough gook, and sneeze shmutz, from someone who has the virus and is coughing, sneezing, or talking close to you.
Airborne transmission is another way that COVID-19 can spread.
Visit the CDCTrusted Source and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Trusted Source websites to learn more about the transmission of COVID-19.
How STIs spread
Direct skin-to-skin contact or bodily fluids are the main ways that STIs are spread.
See below for additional information on STI transmission:
All the Information You Require Regarding Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
What Symptoms Are Associated with Oral STDs?
Anal STI Testing: What to Expect and Why It’s Important
Can a Hand Job Infect You with a STI? And 9 Other Questions Are Addressed: Is It Possible to Get a STI on Your Own?
second : Talk about your possible exposures and COVID-19 status.
“Before agreeing to meet up with someone, you want to find out when their last negative (or positive) COVID-19 test was, if they are fully vaccinated, if and when they plan to get vaccinated, what their safety protocols are, and if they have had any recent exposures,” advises Gaither.
“You might also ask how many people they’re currently dating,” says Gigi Engle, author of “All The F*cking Mistakes: A Guide to Sex, Love, and Life” and a certified sex coach.
“This virus is extremely dangerous and should be handled seriously,” she states.
“Asking someone to help you determine whether they are likely to infect you with a potentially fatal infection is not uncool.” Just!
It’s acceptable if having differing COVID-19 processes proves to be a deal breaker!
If someone adheres to different COVID-19 protocols than you and doesn’t adapt to the safety measures you’ve asked for, that could be a warning sign, according to Engle.
“It definitely shows that this individual isn’t taking good care of their own health, which puts you at even higher risk.”
Third : Acquire knowledge of your own health
Are you aware of your present COVID-19 or STI status? Before boning, find out.
Find out whether you have COVID-19.
Getting tested for all STIs is necessary to determine your actual STI status.
“All partners should be screened for HIV, hepatitis B, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and herpes before engaging in any sexual activity,” advises Kecia Gaither, MD, director of perinatal services at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and a double board certified OB-GYN and maternal fetal medicine physician.
It also entails screening for infection in every possible location. To put it another way, if you engage in oral or anal intercourse, get tested for STIs.
Check out our list of STI testing facilities in each area if you’re unsure where to go.
Find out whether you have COVID-19.
You can only find out your COVID-19 status by getting tested, removing as many possible transmission risks as possible between the test and results, and then receiving your results.
Recommendations about the necessity of testing those who are not exhibiting symptoms have changed during the pandemic.
To find out where to take the test and whether you are eligible for one:
Look for “COVID-19 testing near me” on Google.
Give your neighborhood doctor, clinic, or other healthcare provider a call.
Find out if your neighborhood Walgreens, CVS, or urgent care center is now conducting COVID-19 testing.