People who are abstinent choose not to have sex. The official definition of abstinence includes not taking part in vaginal, anal, and oral sex. However, some people practice abstinence by only skipping one or two of those types of sexual activity.
The definition of abstinence is when you don’t have sex. Outercourse is other sexual activities besides vaginal sex. Sexual abstinence and outercourse can mean different things to different people. Abstinence means different things to different people. For most people, abstinence means not having sex with anyone. Sometimes people use abstinence as birth control to prevent pregnancy.
Abstinence prevents pregnancy by keeping semen away from the vagina, so the sperm cells in semen can’t get to an egg and cause pregnancy. If you’re abstinent 100% of the time, pregnancy can’t happen. People sometimes only use abstinence to prevent pregnancy on days they’re fertile (most likely to get pregnant), but they may have vaginal sex at other times. This is called fertility-awareness.
There are many reasons why you might practice abstinence, including:
• Not feeling ready to have sex yet
• No birth control available
• Don’t want to use available birth control methods
• Waiting for marriage or a special partner
• Recent breakup
• Focusing on work or school
• Personal or religious beliefs
• Medically necessary following an illness
If you practice abstinence, it’s important to let a partner know. Together, you can come up with different ways to be intimate with each other.
The definition of abstinence is when you don’t have sex. Outercourse is other sexual activities besides vaginal sex. Sexual abstinence and outercourse can mean different things to different people. Abstinence means different things to different people. For most people, abstinence means not having sex with anyone. Sometimes people use abstinence as birth control to prevent pregnancy.
Abstinence prevents pregnancy by keeping semen away from the vagina, so the sperm cells in semen can’t get to an egg and cause pregnancy. If you’re abstinent 100% of the time, pregnancy can’t happen. People sometimes only use abstinence to prevent pregnancy on days they’re fertile (most likely to get pregnant), but they may have vaginal sex at other times. This is called fertility-awareness.
There are many reasons why you might practice abstinence, including:
• Not feeling ready to have sex yet
• No birth control available
• Don’t want to use available birth control methods
• Waiting for marriage or a special partner
• Recent breakup
• Focusing on work or school
• Personal or religious beliefs
• Medically necessary following an illness
If you practice abstinence, it’s important to let a partner know. Together, you can come up with different ways to be intimate with each other.
Is It Prevents All Sexually Transmitted Infections
Abstinence is also successful in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If you don’t have sex, it’s hard to get an STI. However, if you abstain only from one type of sex, like vaginal, but still have others, like anal or oral, you can still get an STI.
Benefits Of Abstinence
It is free and has no medical or hormonal side effects
Women and men abstain from sex play for many reasons even after they’ve been sexually active. A couple may even choose to be abstinent after having had sex play with each other. The reasons people choose to be abstinent may change throughout life.
People choose abstinence to
prevent pregnancy
prevent STDs
wait until they’re ready for a sexual relationship
wait to find the “right” partner
have fun with romantic partners without sexual involvement
focus on school, career, or extracurricular activities
support personal, moral, or religious beliefs and values
get over a breakup
heal from the death of a partner
follow medical advice during an illness or infection
Any woman or man can abstain from sex play. Many do so at various times in their lives. Some choose to abstain from sex play for a great part of their lives.
People choose abstinence to
prevent pregnancy
prevent STDs
wait until they’re ready for a sexual relationship
wait to find the “right” partner
have fun with romantic partners without sexual involvement
focus on school, career, or extracurricular activities
support personal, moral, or religious beliefs and values
get over a breakup
heal from the death of a partner
follow medical advice during an illness or infection
Any woman or man can abstain from sex play. Many do so at various times in their lives. Some choose to abstain from sex play for a great part of their lives.
What Can You Do With Your Partner While Still Being Abstinent?
Depending on your personal definition of abstinence, you may be able to participate in activities like:
Kissing
Not only does kissing release those “happy hormones” that help you bond with your partner, it can have an amazing effect on your overall health.
Manual stimulation
Just like masturbation, manual stimulation — using your hands or fingers to pleasure your partner — can be a fantastic way to help you reach orgasm without sexual penetration. You can also experiment with using sex toys or lubricant to stimulate each other. Your risk for pregnancy and STIs increases when bodily fluids get involved, so be sure to take precautions.
Oral sex
When it comes to pleasure, there are a lot of options for using your mouth on your partner’s genitals and other erogenous zones. Whether you’re trying blow jobs, cunnilingus, rimming or something else, it’s important to make sure you’re still using protection from STIs.
Kissing
Not only does kissing release those “happy hormones” that help you bond with your partner, it can have an amazing effect on your overall health.
Manual stimulation
Just like masturbation, manual stimulation — using your hands or fingers to pleasure your partner — can be a fantastic way to help you reach orgasm without sexual penetration. You can also experiment with using sex toys or lubricant to stimulate each other. Your risk for pregnancy and STIs increases when bodily fluids get involved, so be sure to take precautions.
Oral sex
When it comes to pleasure, there are a lot of options for using your mouth on your partner’s genitals and other erogenous zones. Whether you’re trying blow jobs, cunnilingus, rimming or something else, it’s important to make sure you’re still using protection from STIs.
Is pregnancy possible?
Abstinence is the only birth control method that’s 100 percent effective, but that only works if you’re actually abstinent 100 percent of the time. It only takes having unprotected vaginal sex once or sperm entering the vagina through another form of sexual activity for pregnancy to occur. If you and your partner are ready for sex, be sure to talk about condoms and other forms of birth control.
