1. Do not have sexual intercourse
You have decided that you enjoy sex with your partner but are not ready to have intercourse. Perhaps you are not ready now, or you may have decided to wait until you are married to have intercourse.
If you avoid sex for religious or cultural reasons, understand that some of the practices in this section may be considered sexual by your religious/cultural standards.
2. Engage in deep caressing
What is it? Deep caressing is sexual contact between two people that does not include penetrative sex (vaginal, anal, or oral). The risk of disease and pregnancy is greatly reduced, but in either case the risk is still small, depending on the level of intimate contact.
3. Engage in non-penetrative sex
This includes fully clothed dry rubbing, fully clothed petting, including mutual masturbation, and sexual gratification. Since orgasm is often part of sexual intercourse, it is safe to say that this is sexual and does carry a low risk of pregnancy or disease. However, both outcomes are unlikely.
Neither party should feel obligated to engage in other sexual behaviors to avoid intercourse.
4. Engage in oral sex
While oral sex can be pleasurable for both parties, it is not without risk. Although pregnancy cannot occur, disease transmission is still possible.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 60% of U.S. residents aged 15 to 24 have had oral sex, while about 50% have had vaginal sex.
The CDC study also reported that 5-10% of patients who visited STD clinics had gonorrhea in the throat, and that there is an increased risk of infection with chlamydia, herpes, syphilis, and cancer-causing HPV, and recommends the use of safe sex techniques when engaging in oral sex.
