Abstinence
As you probably already know, abstinence is the only guaranteed way to prevent pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Abstinence is when you choose not to engage in sexual acts.
If you want to engage in sexual acts that don’t include vaginal intercourse, see our page on “outercourse”.
Many women and men are at times abstinent, or choose to be abstinent for their entire lives.
The advantages of abstinence are the guarantees that you will not get pregnant, and that you will not get a sexually transmitted disease or infection.
The disadvantages of abstinence are that you cannot enjoy the sexual pleasure from sexual play or intercourse.
If you are choosing to be abstinent for a period of time, it is always safest to have a back up method of birth control if you find yourself in a situation where you choose to once again become sexually active. You will be at higher risk for pregnancy if you are abstinent and then you are unprepared for becoming sexually active.
