Sexual practices of lesbians

Lesbians and same-sex attracted women engage in many different kinds of sexual activity.

Individual lesbians and same-sex attracted women are all different. Some might have lots of sex, some might not. Some might enjoy many different types of sexual activities, while others might just prefer a few. Some find that sex is a really important part of their lives, while for others it might not be.

Kissing

Kissing is a fairly universal practice and is completely safe for HIV transmission as saliva does not transmit HIV. Some STIs, such as herpes, can potentially be transmitted through kissing. It's best to avoid kissing someone if they have a visible cold sore. If you feel a cold sore coming on try to avoid kissing or performing oral sex.

Masturbation and mutual masturbation

Unlike men, masturbation is not as publicly talked about for women. However, masturbation is a very common sexual activity among women of all sexual identities, and is a great way to discover what turns you on. And it's 100% safe for STIs!

Mutual masturbation is when women stimulate each other by touching or rubbing each other’s clitorises or genital areas.

Just about every sexual encounter between women involves at least a little bit of mutual masturbation. Some women do it as a warm up to, or cool down from, other things, while others like to masturbate each other to orgasm. Mutual masturbation is considered a safe activity for STIs, although swapping body fluids such as vaginal lubricant can hold risk for certain STIs.

Oral sex

Oral sex is licking, sucking or kissing someone’s genitals. It’s also known as going down, cunnilingius, a head job, fellatio, head, growling out, and sucking. It is a very common and for many very pleasurable sex practice.

It's fairly easy to transmit STIs through oral sex. Just make sure you get tested regularly and get the STIs treated.

Vaginal penetration

Vaginal penetration can happen in a whole variety of ways. Many women experience pleasure from different types of vaginal penetration, and there are many exciting ways of exploring what suits you best. Some of the ways vaginal penetration can occur include using fingers by placing one or more fingers into the vagina otherwise known as fingering, digital sex or finger-fucking. Another type of vaginal penetration is fisting. Fisting is when the whole hand and sometimes part of the forearm is inserted into the vagina. It's best to use latex gloves when fisting, and to ensure there is lots of water based lubricant. Many women enjoy vaginal penetration with sex toys such as dildos, vibrators, strap-ons, and vibrating eggs.

Some tips for safer sex in vaginal penetration include:

no cuts on fingers/hands

clean hands

being cautious with penetration during menstruation as the vagina can be more sensitive

short fingernails

changing condoms on sex toys between partners and orifices

maintaining clear communication about what is comfortable

check genitals for sores

Rimming

Rimming is the act of licking someone else’s arse or having yours licked, and many women enjoy exploring rimming and other types of arse play. Some STIs can be transmitted through rimming – particularly hepatitis A which is transmitted through small quantities of feaces entering a person’s mouth. A vaccination is available against hepatitis A – get vaccinated now!

Anal sex

Anal sex is when hands or sex toys like dildos and vibrators are inserted into an arse. This is also known as anal intercourse or fucking. Anal sex holds some risk for STI infection, but this is reduced with the use of condoms on sex toys, gloves on hands and water based lubricant.

Watersports

The terms “watersports” and “piss-play” refer to sexual acts involving urine.

BDSM, fantasy and role play

Some sexual practices are more to do with the mind than the body (although they involve bodies too!). The letters BDSM stand for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadism and Masochism, which refer to practices involving dominance, submission, discipline, punishment, bondage, sexual role-playing, sexual fetishism, sadomasochism, and power exchange, as well as the full spectrum of mainstream personal and sexual interactions.

Fantasy and role-play

Where people act out particular fantasies or role-play characters during sex. Not all role-playing actually involves sex, although some of it does.

These activities are generally no riskier for STI transmission than any other kinds of sex, and the same guidelines around safe sex apply. For people who may be into 'bloodsports', extra precautions should be paid to ensure HIV and other blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C are not transmitted.

Blood sports

As the name indicates, 'blood sports' is the term used to describe sexual acts where blood letting is involved. Activities included under this broad heading are piercing and cutting. Because there is bleeding, blood sports are a higher risk for hepatitis C, HIV and other blood borne viruses. Using new equipment, wearing gloves and keeping the procedure sterile dramatically reduces the risk of transmitting bacteria and viruses. Any sexual play involving cutting or piercing should be done under careful guidelines and only by experienced players. Any blood spills should be cleaned up using bleach and detergent solutions.

Group sex

Group sex refers to having sex with more than one partner in the same session. Other terms to describe group sex are gang bang, orgies, group meets, three-ways, threesomes, ménage a trois, sex party, and play party. Group sex can range from a threesome through to a large-scale sex party. Group sex is no riskier than any other kind of sex for HIV and STIs, as long as all the normal precautions are taken such as condoms on sex toys and lube, gloves, and regular testing. Women who are really into group sex are encouraged to get tested for STIs more frequently, for example, every 3 months.