Safety and prevention

Danger of causing pregnancy and how to avoid

Body fluids and birth control
All sexual behaviors that involve the contact of semen with the vagina or vulva may result in pregnancy. To prevent pregnancy, many people employ a variety of birth control measures.

Danger of sexually transmitted diseases and how to avoid
All sexual behaviors that involve contact with another person or the bodily fluids of another person entail some risk of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, which is why safer sex techniques are recommended. These techniques are generally seen as less necessary for those in committed monogamous relationships with persons who have been demonstrated to be free of disease; see fluid bonding.

Screening of sex partners
Due to the extreme risk of death from HIV and AIDS, and due to the risk of severe illness (and possible death) from other sexually transmitted diseases, it is of the utmost importance that potential sex partners be tested for STDs before engaging in sex.

Cultural norms and boundaries
Sexual behavior, like other kinds of social activity, is generally governed by rules which are culturally specific and vary widely (see sexual morality, sexual norms).

Legal issues
Some activities are actually illegal in some jurisdictions even between (or among) consenting people (see sex crime, sodomy law, incest).

Some people engage in various sexual activities as a business transaction; this is called prostitution.

Nearly all cultures consider it a serious crime to force someone to engage in sexual behavior or to engage in sexual behavior with someone who does not consent. This is called sexual assault, and in the case of sexual intercourse it is called rape, the most serious kind of sexual assault. Details on this distinction may vary. Also, precisely what constitutes effective consent to have sex varies from culture to culture and is frequently debated. Laws regulating what constitutes consent, including the minimum age at which a person can consent to have sex, are frequently the subject of debate; see age of consent.

Various forms of same-gender sexual activity have been prohibited under law in many areas at different times in history. In 2003, the Lawrence v Texas United States Supreme Court decision overturned all such laws in the US.

Usually, though not always, such laws are termed sodomy laws, but also include issues such as age of consent laws, "decency" laws, and so forth. Laws prohibiting same-gender sexuality have varied widely throughout history, varying by culture, religious and social taboos and customs, etc. Often such laws are targeted or applied differently based on gender as well. For example, laws against same-gender sexual behavior in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, sodomy or "buggery" laws were aimed specifically at male same-gender sexual activity and did not target or even address female same-gender sexual activity. A well known example of such laws applied in modern times can be found in Alan Turing.

Different-sex sexual practices are limited by laws in America and many other places. In America marriage laws may serve the purpose of encouraging people to only have sex (and children) within marriage. Sodomy laws may be seen as encouraging different-sex sexual practices. Laws also ban adults from committing sexual abuse, committing sexual activities with anyone under an age of consent, performing sexual activities in public, and engaging in sexual activities for money (prostitution), though these laws all cover same-sex sexual activities they may differ with regards punishment and may more frequently or only be enforced on same-sex sexual activities. Laws also control the making and viewing of pornography, including different-sex sexual activities.

Age of consent

Unlawful sexual practices
Some countries are very strict about what you are and are not allowed to do sexually.

Human sexual behavior
Desire and fantasy
The use of drugs to enhance communication
Encounters between potential partners
Personal prerequisites to having sex with someone
Main
Safety and prevention
Seeking a Partner
Sexual relationships
Sexuality and sensuality
The search for a partner

terminology

Abortion
Abstinence
Anal sex
Aphrodisiacs
Assexual
Bartholins
Birth control
Bisexual
Blue balls
Breasts
Circumcision
Clitoris
Cunnilingus
Dyspareunia
Ejaculation
Erection
Erogenous
Erotica
Fantasy
Fellatio
Fetishism
Foreplay
Frigidity
G spot
Gay
Genitals
Gynecology
Hiv
Homosexuality
Hormones
Hymen
Impotence
Incest
Intercourse
Lesbian
Libido
Lubrication
Masturbation
Menstruation
Nymphomania
Oral genital
Orgasm