Swinger lifestyle guide to sexual health

Swingers indulging in drug-fueled orgy

An alarmist newspaper article a few years back, bore the headline; 'Middle-aged swingers indulging in drug-fuelled orgies are fuelling a rise in STIs'. At first glance, the article seemed to be well based on some convincing medical research and anyone considering the swinger lifestyle for the first time might well have thought twice after reading it. However, a clue to the article's sensationalist bias might have been picked up by readers who had already attended some swinger parties; the notion of 'drug-fueled orgies' would simply not match their experience. Drugs are rarely used at swinger events and all of the swinger clubs we know of operate a zero tolerance policy of drug use on their premises.

Further clues that bring into question how much trust can be placed in the article can found as you read further into it. For a start, the research was based on a very small number (289) of people in Holland. They were all patients at a STI clinic and over half were drug users - which is the fact that the journalist seems to have turned on its head to create the headline.

Most swingers are careful

In reality, most swingers are careful and responsible when it comes to minimising the sexual health risks but it should not be denied that the swinger lifestyle inevitably is a more risky one than a strictly monogamous one. STIs are not at all pleasant and even a mild infections can lead to serious health problems. Swingers who refuse to take the risk seriously at all are not only ignoring their own well being but they pose a health risk to others. Fortunately, younger swingers are generally much more able to accept the need to use condoms than some of the swingers of earlier generations. It has now become quite unusual to encounter swingers who do not use condoms but if you do, our advice is turn down any offers to swing with them - or at least to insist on your right to practice safer sex.

What swingers can do to be safer

In addition to always using condoms when swinging, there are some other measures that can make having sex safer. Probably the most important of all is being clean. Swingers should make thorough washing before and after sex a matter of routine. Whether you are at home, in someone else's home or at a swinger club, there are usually showers available; so make it your business to always take one after having sex. It is important to understand that bacteria which is allowed to congregate in the genital area can be a source of infections that are difficult to get rid of.

Dental hygiene is also important. Oral health issues such as bleeding gums and lip sores increase the chances of infections being transmitted via oral sex. The key to prevention is regular dental visits, good teeth brushing habits combined with the use of bottle brushes and mouth washes. Women might also want to consider using dental dams. These barriers are designed to decrease the amount of bacteria entering the genital region and they also protect the partner's mouth from oral infection.

For more detailed and medically sound information about STIs, anyone considering the swinger lifestyle should refer to trustworthy and authentic sources rather than the type of sensationalist reports that appear in the popular media from time to to time.