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Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
HIV is generally considered to be an STI, even though HIV can be transmitted in other ways, such as through contact with blood, the use of contaminated needles and instruments, and mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding. Exchange of body fluids during sexual contact is a primary mode of HIV transmission. Safer Sex“Safer sex” refers to those practices that enable people to reduce their sexual health risks and lower the likelihood of infection with HIV and other STIs. Generally, safer-sex practices prevent the exchange of body fluids, such as semen, blood, and vaginal secretions. (We will discuss this topic in more detail in a later section of this course.) Safer sex principally means using condoms during penetrative sex or having nonpenetrative sex (where the penis does not penetrate the vagina or anus). Using latex barriers for oral-genital contact is another form of safer sex. While some use the term safe sex, in this course we use the word “safer” in recognition of the fact that all sexual practices can have consequences—whether in terms of emotional consequences or in terms of infection and pregnancy—and that very few practices are without any risk of infection transmission.
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Sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are primarily passed
from person to person by sexual contact. STIs are part of a broader group
of infections, known as reproductive tract infections (RTIs),
that includes all infections of the reproductive tract, including those
not caused by sexual contact.