Sexual health

Young people are more adventurous about the kinds of sex they’re having, research suggests, but they don’t always recognise that they’re having sex. Perhaps it’s because they don’t want to think about what happens next, the ‘what ifs’. And if they didn’t ‘go all the way’, it’s not really sex, right?

But whether it’s vaginal sex, oral sex, anal sex, pulling out (withdrawal) or some other variation, they all count as ‘having sex’. Why does it matter? If you tell yourself ‘it’s not really sex’, you’re probably not aware of the risks you’re running, perhaps by catching STIs or in getting pregnant, by having direct physical contact, exchanging semen, blood or vaginal fluids. And maybe you’re not being real about the impact on yourself and your relationships.

Some clarifications
Vaginal sex, also called penetrative sex, is when he inserts his penis into her vagina. If he pulls out before coming (having orgasm and ejaculating sperm), he could still make her pregnant because he ‘leaks’ fluid containing sperm before coming. And he could still spread or catch an STI because they’re in direct physical contact. Using a condom can minimise those risks.

Oral sex for a man is called fellatio and for a woman it’s cunnilingus. It’s better known as ‘going down’ on your partner,