How risky is...?

Sex is great – we love it! So believe us when we say that we're not trying to rain on anyone's parade by saying there are risks involved. The more informed you are about the risks, the easier it will be for you to navigate them. In this section you will find information about different kinds of sex, and the related risks of HIV and other STIs. All STIs are preventable, but not all STIs are curable and some cause long-term damage to your health. It's worth taking care of your sexual health. If you have any STI symptoms, get yourself to a clinic as soon as possible and avoid sex until they've given you the all clear. You can have some STIs without showing any symptoms, so if you have an active sex life it's worth getting a full sexual health check-up every six months and taking an HIV test every year.1

References:

1 British HIV Association (BHIVA), British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and British Infection Society (BIS). UK national guidelines for HIV testing 2008. British HIV Association, September 2008.