Adventureland: Tips for exploring new kinds of sex or relationships

When you go someplace new, do you plan your trip so you arrive prepared and ready for anything? Well, that’s a smart strategy for your sex life too. Especially if you’re exploring new kinds of sex or relationships.

Here are some things to consider if you’re using new sex toys; experimenting with sexual fetishes or kink; or exploring parts of the body that you’ve never used for sexual pleasure.

Birth Control

Are you bisexual, straight, questioning, sleeping with a trans girlfriend, or exploring any kind of sex that could result in a pregnancy? If yes, then it’s important to use birth control. Not sometimes. Every time. Even if it’s just one time.

Not sure about committing to a long lasting, super reliable method? Take a look at our method matrix to see all your options. There are several methods that you can keep on you, just in case something happens spontaneously. A new study shows how important this is for women who sleep with both men and women.

STI Prevention

This is critical for all sexual scenarios, but you might not realize what you need if you find yourself in new terrain. You’ll want to use male or female condoms and/or dental dams depending on your involvement in oral, vaginal, or anal sex. We go into more detail on Bedsider.

Safety and Comfort

Good communication and safe words. Lubricant. Discussing consent and boundaries. Sometimes planning or talking things through doesn’t feel sexy. But 10 minutes of let’s-get-this-taken-care-of-now can result in hours of uninterrupted sexy time.

Clean Up

Different sex toy materials require different cleaning methods. (And different types of lube too!) The goal is to avoid harmful bacteria.

Got specific questions about something new you want to experience? We recommend reaching out to San Francisco Sex Information. They’ll talk you through it.

Have fun,
Bedsider

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