Safe Sex that is NOT just Condoms

What are your experiences with making sex safe that did not involve the use of traditional condoms? Do you think people, lesbians in particular, should be more educated in things like this?

I was incredibly surprised that there was so few mentions of these on zity, where we have hundreds upon hundreds of mentions of 'rubbers', 'condoms', 'jimmy hat', 'raincoat', etc. but what about when there's no penis to put a condom on? Let's show some diversity! And not a bad idea to learn as many ways to be safe as possible!

I recently got to try out 'dental dams' (a name I really dislike) both using one and having one used on me, and it occurred to me that this was a subject I had not read about on zity.

Dental Dams are oral barriers, tissue sized sheets that are placed over the cavity about to be licked (presumably) and allow the person 'giving' the oral sex to push their tongue against and please the 'receiver' without any tongue-skin contact. They are latex, similar enough to condoms, just a different shape and lube-less.

The lack of contact is supposed to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, however due to the fact that so few know about them, I haven't been able to find a reliable source that can approximate exactly how much protection they give, if any really.

JR3 -- GOOD POST!

Back when my husband and I used to swing and we used condoms all the time, I also used dental/rubber dams for cunnilingus. Sure, it isn't like nothing at all, but it does keep you from contracting diseases. There are over 1100 different bacterial species (NOT a typo) that are known to inhabit the oral cavity. The dam protects you from those as well as from giving any STI to your partner.

Most dental "rubber" dams in general dental use are NOT made of rubber and haven't been for 15-20 years, but old original names die hard. They are excellent for preventing transfer of fluids. People who have had root canal treatment have had rubber dams used in their mouth. Better dentists use them when doing ordinary or hard to isolate cavities.

Because of the people with latex allergies, so called rubber dams are usually made of polymer materials like polyurethane and silicone, NOT rubber although latex dams are available but may also be harder to find.

Rubber dams also come in different thicknesses from thin lightweight to thick heavy weight dams. The latex dams are also texturally very smooth while the non-latex dams are more textured.

The thinner more textured non-latex dams may be more preferred for cunnilingus because of their texture.

This is a subject that I have been looking for over the years, but have been lazy about bringing up, which is my own fault. I would be interested in some dialog from our medical professionals aboard Zity about the effectiveness of this product myself. In the male world, it could be another aid for all of us that enjoy rimming, but would like additional protection if it offers this advantage.

I hate condoms, but I'm totally with wanting to avoid the complications of unwanted pregnancies.

But at the same time though, if I have to isolate myself from the enjoyment of going down on a woman for fear of her germs, I probably have no business being there in the first place.

@radio said:

But at the same time though, if I have to isolate myself from the enjoyment of going down on a woman for fear of her germs, I probably have no business being there in the first place.

People tend to ignore that sexually transmitted diseases can be transferred other ways than 'penis in vagina', mainly because people think that sex is always 'penis in vagina' so sexual transmission has to involve that!

But of course, that's complete bull.

Just as you can't always see things like HPV so you wear a condom for your penis, you can't see any other pathogen you may end up with stuck to your tongue! You really can't ever fully trust someone to be pathogen-free, unless of course you are their doctor who recently tested them. People LIE, people CHEAT, and people get infected. No harm in being sure!

Leave it to my JR3 to bring up such a brilliant topic. I'm proud of you.

Personally speaking I hate all kinds of artificial protection i.e. condoms, the dental dams that you mentioned, and the like. Until the husband and Doc I always used condoms because I grew up in the discovery the AIDS epidemic and back then when I first started having sex we were all running scared.

The nurse in me shouldn't really admit that sort of thing so as a public disclaimer I need to say that until you are certain your partner is clean i.e. via medical testing, use protection.

I understand that hook-ups happen, one night stands, and sometimes we can easily get caught up in the moment, but it's important to value yourself, your health, and your future.

Get tested. There are free clinics all over the place and places like planned parenthood here in the US that will test you for free or dirt cheap. Get tested and test often. If you want to have sex unprotected, be responsible, get tested and insist that the person with whom you are interested is clean too. Easier said than done, I know, I get it.

JR3, you asked for other ways to have safe sex without condoms, aside from abstinence, the only other way I can think of would be to give yourself some self love, lol.

Mashie