Editing Sexual intercourse (section)

===Safe sex and birth control===
{{See also|Comparison of birth control methods}}
There are a variety of [[safe sex]] methods that are practiced by heterosexual and same-sex couples, including non-penetrative sex acts,<ref name="Kumar"/><ref name="Durham">{{cite book|title=The Person With HIV/AIDS: Nursing Perspectives|edition=3rd|isbn = 978-81-223-0004-8|publisher=[[Springer Publishing Company]]|year=2000|page=103|access-date=January 29, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSCQ4L8kSXsC&pg=PA103|author1=Jerry D. Durham |author2=Felissa R. Lashley }}</ref> and heterosexual couples may use oral or anal sex (or both) as a means of birth control.<ref name="Crooks">{{cite book | title = Our Sexuality | publisher = [[Cengage Learning]] | year = 2010 | pages = 286–289 | access-date = August 30, 2012 |isbn = 978-0-495-81294-4| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MpRnPtmdRVwC&pg=PA286|quote=Noncoital forms of sexual intimacy, which have been called outercourse, can be a viable form of birth control. Outercourse includes all avenues of sexual intimacy other than penile–vaginal intercourse, including kissing, touching, mutual masturbation, and oral and anal sex. |author1=Robert Crooks |author2=Karla Baur }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Feldmann J, Middleman AB | title = Adolescent sexuality and sexual behavior | journal = Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology | volume = 14 | issue = 5 | pages = 489–493 | year = 2002 | pmid = 12401976 | doi=10.1097/00001703-200210000-00008| s2cid = 29206790 }}</ref> However, pregnancy can still occur with anal sex or other forms of sexual activity if the penis is near the vagina (such as during [[intercrural sex]] or other [[genital-genital rubbing]]) and its sperm is deposited near the vagina's entrance and travels along the vagina's lubricating fluids; the risk of pregnancy can also occur without the penis being near the vagina because sperm may be transported to the vaginal opening by the vagina coming in contact with fingers or other non-genital body parts that have come in contact with semen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=R. Murray|title=Sex and the American teenager seeing through the myths and confronting the issues|year=2009|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield Education]]|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=978-1-60709-018-2|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gM9EFgsJHyoC&pg=PA81|access-date=October 21, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Edlin|first=Gordon|title=Health & Wellness.|year=2012|publisher=[[Jones & Bartlett Learning]]|isbn=978-1-4496-3647-0|page=213|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=csGk6j5rlN0C&pg=PA213|access-date=October 21, 2015}}</ref>

Safe sex is a relevant [[harm reduction]] philosophy<ref name="Mercer">{{cite journal | vauthors = Chin HB, Sipe TA, Elder R, Mercer SL, Chattopadhyay SK, Jacob V, Wethington HR, Kirby D, Elliston DB, Griffith M, Chuke SO, Briss SC, Ericksen I, Galbraith JS, Herbst JH, Johnson RL, Kraft JM, Noar SM, Romero LM, Santelli J | title = The Effectiveness of Group-Based Comprehensive Risk-Reduction and Abstinence Education Interventions to Prevent or Reduce the Risk of Adolescent Pregnancy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Sexually Transmitted Infections | journal = American Journal of Preventive Medicine | volume = 42 | issue = 3 | pages = 272–294 | year = 2012 | pmid = 22341164 | doi = 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.11.006 | url = http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(11)00906-8/abstract | access-date = July 23, 2013 | archive-date = January 2, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200102180246/https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(11)00906-8/abstract | url-status = dead }}</ref> and [[condom]]s are used as a form of safe sex and contraception. Condoms are widely recommended for the prevention of [[sexually transmitted infections]] (STIs).<ref name="Mercer"/> According to reports by the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) and [[World Health Organization]] (WHO), correct and consistent use of latex condoms reduces the risk of [[HIV/AIDS]] transmission by approximately 85–99% relative to risk when unprotected.<ref>{{cite conference|author=National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases |author-link=National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases |author2=National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services |title=Workshop Summary: Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Prevention |pages=13–15 |date=July 20, 2001 |location=Hyatt Dulles Airport, Herndon, Virginia |url=http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/dmid/PDF/condomReport.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307132024/http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/dmid/PDF/condomReport.pdf |archive-date=March 7, 2010 |access-date=March 20, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="WHO condoms">{{cite web|title=Effectiveness of male latex condoms in protecting against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections|publisher=[[World Health Organization]]|year=2000|access-date=July 23, 2013|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs243/en/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509064325/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs243/en/index.html |archive-date=May 9, 2010 }}</ref> Condoms are rarely used for oral sex and there is significantly less research on behaviors with regard to condom use for anal and oral sex.<ref name="Kumar 2">{{cite book|title=Sexually Transmitted Infections E book| author = Bhushan Kumar, Somesh Gupta| publisher = [[Elsevier Health Sciences]] | year = 2014 | page = 122 |isbn = 978-81-312-2978-1| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=kQ9tAwAAQBAJ}}</ref> The most effective way to avoid sexually transmitted infections is to [[Sexual abstinence|abstain]] from sexual intercourse, especially vaginal, anal, and oral sexual intercourse.<ref name="Mercer"/>

Decisions and options concerning birth control can be affected by cultural reasons, such as religion, [[gender role]]s or [[folklore]].<ref name="Hales2">{{cite book | title = An Invitation to Health: Choosing to Change| publisher = [[Cengage Learning]]| year = 2010 | pages = 301–302| access-date = March 30, 2013 |isbn = 978-0-538-73655-8| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yPa0LZXizO4C&pg=PA301 | author = Dianne Hales}}</ref> In the predominantly [[Catholic]] countries Ireland, Italy, and the Philippines, [[fertility awareness]] and the [[Calendar-based contraceptive methods|rhythm method]] are emphasized while disapproval is expressed with regard to other contraceptive methods.<ref name="Hales"/> Worldwide, [[Sterilization (medicine)|sterilization]] is a more common birth control method,<ref name="Hales"/> and use of the [[intrauterine device]] (IUD) is the most common and effective way of reversible contraception.<ref name="Hales"/><ref name=Winner2012>{{cite journal |vauthors=Winner B, Peipert JF, Zhao Q, Buckel C, Madden T, Allsworth JE, Secura GM | title = Effectiveness of long-acting reversible contraception | journal = N. Engl. J. Med. | volume = 366 | issue = 21 | pages = 1998–2007 | year = 2012 | pmid = 22621627 | doi = 10.1056/NEJMoa1110855 | s2cid = 16812353 | url = https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3776&context=open_access_pubs | doi-access = free }}</ref> Conception and contraception are additionally a life-and-death situation in [[developing countries]], where one in three women give birth before age 20; however, 90% of [[unsafe abortion]]s in these countries could be prevented by effective contraception use.<ref name="Hales"/>

The [[National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior]] (NSSHB) indicated in 2010 that "1 of 4 acts of vaginal intercourse are condom-protected in the U.S. (1 in 3 among singles)," that "condom use is higher among black and Hispanic Americans than among white Americans and those from other racial groups," and that "adults using a condom for intercourse were just as likely to rate the sexual extent positively in terms of arousal, pleasure and orgasm than when having intercourse without one".<ref name="NSSHB">{{cite journal |title=Findings from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, Centre for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University |journal= [[The Journal of Sexual Medicine]] |volume=7 |issue=Supplement 5 |page=4 |year=2010 |access-date=March 4, 2011|url=http://www.kinseyinstitute.org/resources/FAQ.html}}</ref>