Hints & Info

Skin is an important sensory organ for humans: it routes sensory perceptions to the brain. In sexual encounters, sensory perception plays an important role. Touching each other creates feelings of lust and satisfaction in various ways.

If in petting without intercourse, oral or anal sex or vaginal intercourse, sex always means skin contact between two people and usually the exchange of body fluids like semen, vaginal fluid or even blood. Sexual encounters in their different forms are exciting, but can also lead to infection with a disease. This kind of diseases is called “sexually transmitted diseases (STD)” or “sexually transmitted infections (STI)”. Among these are e. g. infections with chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, hepatitis B, herpes, genital warts and HIV / AIDS.
These diseases are caused by germs (mostly viruses or bacteria), that can be transmitted in any kind of sexual contact by the mucosa of the sexual organs or (less often) the mouth.

More information here: Definition, Transmission and Diseases.

Most sexually transmitted diseases become noticeable by unpleasant symptoms in the genital area or around the mouth: the skin changes, you may observe discharges, pain, itching or burning. Sometimes you may not notice this immediately, and thus we may have and spread an infection to other people unknowingly.
This can be rather awkward for yourself and your partner/s. In this, it is important to know that sexually transmitted diseases can cause irreparable secondary damages, like e. g. sterility (i.e. the inability to reproduce), chronic diseases or the life-threatening general immunodeficiency (AIDS), an illness that makes the body defenceless against all sorts of germs.

More Information here: Consequences and Myths.

Who knows one's body and who knows about sexually transmitted infections, how they are treated and how one can protect oneself, can enjoy sexuality without consequences for one's health and one's partner's health. Sexually transmitted diseases can be avoided through Safer Sex, above all the proper use of condoms. Also, there are vaccines against some diseases in the meanwhile.

More Information here: Protection.

But if you should catch an infection anyway, please be alert when you notice the first symptoms, take them serious, talk to your partner and see your doctor. In many of these diseases it is true that, if you notice them and have them treated early, the chance of healing is very good.

More Information here: Treatment.

Catching a sexually transmitted infection is something that can happen to everyone – it is not a reason for shame. If you look for information and protect your partner/s by practising Safer Sex, you can avoid sexually transmitted diseases and enjoy sex untroubled.