Types of Sex

Home » Types of Sex » Overview

Overview

Intimate relationships are personal relationships that involve different levels of life sharing. The term "intimacy" refers to a strong physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and/or social closeness or connection. Intimate relationships may or may not include sexual intimacy.

Healthy intimate relationships can have a positive effect on all aspects of life and unhealthy relationships can have a negative impact on well-being. Intimacy depends on and can be influenced by several factors, including the following:

• Familiarity
• Feelings (e.g., affection, caring, concern, love [passionate love, romantic love, compassionate love])
• Freedom from fear, coercion, or intimidation
• Honesty
• Open communication
• Respect
• Security
• Trust

Intimate personal relationships often include talking and sharing feelings, spending time with each other, and participating in common interests and activities together. Sexual intimacy can involve a wide range of sexual behaviors, including touching (e.g., holding hands, hugging, cuddling, fondling), and kissing, and sexual intercourse.

Types of sex include oral sex, vaginal sex, and anal sex. When an intimate relationship includes types of low-risk sexual behavior, such as open-mouth kissing, and/or high-risk sexual behavior, such as oral sex, vaginal sex, or anal sex, it is important to practice safer sex. Safer sex reduces the risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintentional pregnancy and is a crucial part of staying healthy.

In addition to touching and kissing, sexual intimacy may be expressed through the following:

• Oral Sex
• Vaginal Sex
• Anal Sex

© 1998-2009 Healthcommunities.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Types of Sex Resources

	Join Our Types of Sex Forum Do you have a question, want to share medical advice, or just need to discuss your situation with someone else having a similar experience? The healthchannels forum is a resource for everyone to share and discuss their health and medical needs with others.	Advertising Disclaimer
	Living with...Share your story Do you have a personal health story that you would like to share with others? As a source of free patient education, our goal is to provide our users with trustworthy information and support from others. That's why we've started our "Living with..." sections.
	Our "Living With..." support pages are a place to share experiences about living with a certain condition, disease, disorder, or illness and for loved ones of those dealing with health-related issues. Many people, especially when newly diagnosed, find comfort in knowing that others are having a similar experience. Help others by sharing your story. View stories already submitted.
	Stay Updated Sign up for our newsletter and receive important updates on the medical conditions that are most important to you.
To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Healthcommunities.com's healthchannels toolbar. Advertising Disclaimer