Protect
Healthysexuals protect themselves and their partners by having safer sex.
STIs are passed on through vaginal, oral and anal sex. Most STIs are passed on by sharing certain body fluids (semen, blood, vaginal fluid) or by genital skin-to-skin contact.
Safer sex is all about protecting yourself and your partners from sexually transmissible infections and unintended pregnancy. Safer sex helps you stay healthy and can make sex more pleasurable.
There are lots of ways you can make sex safer.
Use condoms and/ or dams with water-based lubricants
Condoms and dams are the best way of protecting you and your sexual partners against STI’s. These provide barriers from the body fluids and some skin-to-skin contact that can spread STIs. Condoms are the only form of contraception that protect against both pregnancy and STIs. It is important to use condoms correctly for them to be effective. See How to use a condom (external site).
Have regular STI check-ups
If you have ever been sexually active, an STI check-up is the only way to be sure you don’t have and STI. To find what some common STI tests are see ‘Test’.
Get treated if you have an STI
Most STIs are easily treated and managed. It is important to get treated as soon as possible because the sooner you start, the more effective the treatment is. Even if the symptoms are minimal or disappear, it is always important to finish your course of medication. For common STIs, like chlamydia, it's a simple course of antibiotics.
Tell all your sexual partners if you get an STI
It is important to let any partners you have had sex with recently know if you have an STI so that they can get tested and treated too. This is called contact tracing and is an important part of controlling the spread of STIs (and can help stop you getting the STI again). Most people like to be told in person. You can also send someone a personal or anonymous message via Let them know (external site).
Talk honestly with your partner/s
Conversations with your partner might include agreeing to only have sex with one another and getting tested and treated (if needed) before you stop using condoms or dams.
For more information see Talk.
Sexual activities that are lower risk
Some kinds of sex are safer than others when it comes to reducing the risk of STIs. Lower risk activities include kissing, masturbating, mutual masturbating, touching your partner's genitals (as long as you don't get any of their sexual fluids on or in your mouth or genitals), touching over clothes (sometimes called dry humping), and oral sex. Lower risk doesn't mean no risk and it is still possible to get certain STIs from these things, so using a condom/dam to avoid contact with skin and fluids is the most effective way to prevent STIs.
Get vaccinated
Some STIs (Hepatitis B, HPV - the virus that can cause genital warts and genital cancers) can be vaccinated against. Vaccinations help you to develop immunity so that if you are exposed to these viruses your body is able to protect you. Vaccinations for each virus are different and some require more than one dose to be most effective. Most vaccinations are available for free through the childhood immunisation schedule and school-based immunisation.
Further information on immunisation.
Contraception
If you are having penis-in-vagina sex and you would like to prevent pregnancy, there are many different contraception methods. Condoms are the only contraception method that also prevents STIs. It is important to find the contraception method that works best for you and your partner. Your doctor or places like Sexual Health Quarters (external link) can help you explore your contraception options.
More information about all the contraception methods.
PrEP
PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. This is a medication that can be taken to help prevent HIV infection. If you think you may be at risk of HIV, talk to your doctor to see if PrEP is an option for you.
It is BOTH partners' responsibility to ensure that you have safer sex and use contraception to prevent both unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
It is both partners responsibility to think about and discuss contraception.
Have a look at the Talk page for tips on how to talk to your partner about sexual health.
It is important to talk to your partner about using condoms before you have sex. Some people seem to think that condoms can be a passion killer and 'get in the way of the moment' but using a condom means you don't have to worry and you can just focus on having fun and pleasure.
It can be as simple as pulling out a condom and saying “condom?” before you’re about to have sex. It’s a good idea to have your own supply of condoms handy and to be prepared with a few go-to lines depending on your partner’s response.
You could try:
“I’ll bring the condoms.”
“Don’t worry if you don’t have a condom with you, let’s go get some” or “It’s ok I’ve got some.”
“Condoms aren’t a passion killer, I’m creative!”
“Sometimes people don’t even know they have an STI, so it’s better to be safe.”
“Here, let me show you how to put it on.”
“I want to protect both of us.”
Have a look at our Talk page for some more tips on how to talk to your partner about safer sex.
Condoms are 98 per cent effective at protecting against most STIs.
Some STIs, such as herpes, genital warts and syphilis, can be spread from skin-to-skin contact. Condoms can only protect the skin that is covered, so if any sores or bumps are uncovered by the condom, these STIs can still be spread.
Regular STI testing is important for anyone who is having sex. It is recommended that you get tested once a year or each time you change sexual partners.
No. The oral contraceptive pill does not protect a person against STIs. It only works to prevent pregnancy.
Other contraceptives such as implants and IUDs, do not protect against STIs.
Condoms are the only form of contraception that prevent most STIs and pregnancy.
Some STIs can be vaccinated against, such as mpox, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and HPV, the virus that can cause genital warts and most genital cancers.
Vaccinations help you to develop immunity so that if you are exposed to these viruses your body is able to protect you.
Each virus has it's own vaccine and some require more than one dose to be most effective. Most vaccinations are available for free through the childhood immunisation schedule and school-based immunisation. Certain vaccinations are also available at community pharmacies.
While there is no vaccine for HIV, people who are considered at risk of getting HIV can take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to protect them and prevent HIV infection. For more information about PrEP visit Protect.
Visit HealthyWA (external site) for further information on immunisation.
The right fit ensures the condom is doing its job of effectively preventing pregnancy and STIs and helps to make sex more comfortable and enjoyable.
Finding a condom that is long enough is not usually a problem as condoms are very stretchy! Condom sizes are based on width (sometimes called girth) which can sometimes cause confusion.
Condom packaging usually includes a nominal width, which is the width of the condom at it open end. Use the nominal width and the width of the erect penis to find a good fit. It is a good idea to look at the measurement as condom sizes vary across brands; what is regular in one brand might be large in another brand.
A good fit should feel snug – not too tight so it feels constrictive, and not too loose so it might slip off. If you find a condom doesn’t fit well, take note of the width measurement and go up or down next time.
Once you have the right size, have fun trying new condoms and find the ones right for you and your partner/s – flavoured, ribbed, ultra-thin, textured – there are lots of options!
You can get tested at a doctor’s clinic.
Many hospitals, sexual health clinics, and non-government services offer confidential, free tests for STIs.
You can find a clinic here
You can also take a test to see if you are eligible to receive a free STI test at a PathWest clinic.
Most clinics require a Medicare card. When making an appointment, check whether a Medicare card is required.
A person 15 years and over can get their own card so when visiting a Medicare office bring identification.