Safe Sex - Protect Yourself From AIDS

Safe sex is defined as "Sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken safeguards to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)." This is also mentioned to as safer sex, or secure sex, while unsafe sex or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who haven't taken safeguards to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections. A few references suggest the use of securer sex is preferable to safe sex, as this reflects that risk is reduced, not avoided.

Safe sex exercises became more prominent in the late eighties as a result of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Advancing safe sex is now a primary aim of sex education. By the vantage point of society, safe sex can be took to be a harm reduction strategy aimed at reducing risks.

The risk reduction of safe sex isn't absolute; e.g. the reduced risk to the receptive mate of acquiring HIV from HIV seropositive mates not wearing safeties to compared to when they wear them is estimated to be about a 4- to quintuple.

While some safe sex exercises can be applied as contraceptive method, most forms of contraception do not protect against all or whatever STIs; likewise, some safe sex exercises, like mate selection and low risk sex behaviour, aren't effective forms of contraceptive method.