How to Keep Sex Healthy on Yahoo! Health

With shows like Rock of Love and A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila popping up all over television, dating has become synonymous with casual sex and multiple partners. In an effort to win over the celebrities on these shows, contestants routinely go "all the way" to prove their interest and keep from being eliminated.

Unfortunately, this new type of dating behavior is not confined to the reality show stage. New research from The National Survey of Family Growth found that 1 in 10 men have multiple sexual partners at the same time. Public health officials have criticized this rise in sexual promiscuity, stating that concurrent partners place people at a higher risk for STDs, including AIDS. This is particularly true if individuals are engaging in other risky behavior, including unprotected sex and drug use.

Certain STDs, such as herpes and HPV, cannot be prevented through condom use. Thus, even if someone thinks he is practicing safe sex, he might be placing himself at risk for disease and infection. More importantly, if the men who are having simultaneous relationships are not honest about having sex with multiple people, their partners are being placed at risk without their knowledge. Indeed, if these partners falsely believe that they are in a monogamous relationship, they may feel comfortable having sex without protection. There are more than just broken hearts on the line - these partners might end up with a sad and chronic reminder of their ex-boyfriend's infidelity.

Fortunately, there are ways to stay healthy and still have a spicy sex life:

Always use protection, even if you believe that if you are in a committed and monogamous relationship. You can't protect yourself from a broken heart, but you can protect yourself from infection.
Always use protection...during oral sex! Many people usually do not follow this caveat, but disease can spread during oral sex as well as during intercourse. Use condoms and dental dams, and don't perform oral sex on someone who has a wart or sore down there.
Keep your sexual partners to a minimum. You can still have fun and embrace your sexuality, but that doesn't mean you need to devalue your own self-worth by having sex with everyone in sight! Spend sometime truly getting to know your date, and let sex sit on the back burner for a while. Instant gratification is not all that it is cracked up to be - some things are truly worth the wait.

No matter what popular television shows would have us believe, sex is an activity deeply rooted in our emotions and our hearts. Let's not take sex so lightly - it's best between two committed and responsible adults.