Originally posted by reggid at 1-12-2010 17:15
don't exchange bodily fluids and you'll be reasonably safe
this is a common misconception. there's a number of STDs that are transmitted through physical contact, without ever needing to exchange bodily fluids.
- crabs, which was previously mentioned
- HPV human papillomavirus (genital warts)
there's also STDs that have no symptoms but are still transmittable, such as herpes and chlamydia.
in general, I suspect any STD spread via bacteria or virus doesn't require exchange of bodily fluids. physical contact from the infected area to the uninfected region is probably sufficient to spread the STD, if the exchange occurs fast enough. this could happen simply by touching the infected vagina/penis with your hands, and then later rubbing your own penis/vagina; when you masturbate during sex, or perhaps accidental touching when you remove the condom.
there really is no surefire way to protect yourself from getting an STD, there's only measures with a high rate of success.
- condom
- vaccination; most of the bacterial and viral STDs have a vaccine against them, check with your physician
- disinfecting the area; use a hygienic cleaning product that's not based on antibiotics. something like an alcohol should be fine. more can be found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiseptic
as for girls who do it without condoms; I'm not really surprised. In fact, I bet people will pay more to have sex without a condom, which can be a large incentive.