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What are the advantages and disadvantages of outercourse?
What are the benefits of outercourse?
Does outercourse prevent pregnancy?
Is outercourse right for You?
Outercourse has benefits, too. It can: let you and your partner give each other sexual pleasure without causing pregnancy. And some types of outercourse (like masturbation or dry humping with clothes on) don’t spread STDs, either. increase trust and closeness between partners.
Nov 20, 2023 · More foreplay benefits include: It helps get your body ready for sex. When enjoying foreplay, you may notice your heart pounding. There's an increase in blood flow to your genitals, causing the...
Sep 19, 2014 · What used to be known as foreplay or outercourse can be available to any two people who are willing to explore possibilities, even if the old familiar delights no longer are. Let’s start with the...
- Overview
- What is dry humping?
- Benefits of dry humping
- Risks of dry humping
- Can you get pregnant from dry humping?
- Can you catch an STI or HIV from dry humping?
- Summary
Dry humping is sexual contact, but without bodily fluid contact, usually through underwear or clothes. The risk of pregnancy from dry humping is low but not impossible.
People usually use the term to refer to the rubbing of genitals. This can be when a person rubs them on furniture or two people rub their genitals together through clothing.
Sexual health experts often call dry humping and related behaviors outercourse. Outercourse is safe, and people cannot normally get pregnant or contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI) from dry humping.
Keep reading to learn more about dry humping and how it relates to pregnancy, STIs, and more.
Medically known as outercourse, dry humping is a type of sexual contact that can be pleasurable for both partners. A person can also perform outercourse alone as a form of masturbation, for example, by rubbing their clothed genitals on a bed.
It is possible to orgasm from dry humping, especially with prolonged contact when people are aroused. It could also be a form of foreplay before more direct sexual contact.
Outercourse offers several benefits, which include:
•Sexual pleasure: Outercourse mimics the sensations of other types of sexual stimulation. This can be pleasurable for both partners, make it possible to orgasm, and promote intimacy.
•Abstinence: In some religions and cultures, a person must avoid direct genital stimulation or penetrative sex. Outercourse allows people to experience sexual pleasure and intimacy without these types of direct sexual contact.
•Harm reduction: Dry humping almost completely eliminates the risk of pregnancy and most STIs.
Dry humping is a lower-risk sexual practice because there is no bodily fluid contact. This almost eliminates the risk of pregnancy and STIs.
The main risk of dry humping, as a risk reduction strategy, is that people might feel tempted to have penetrative intercourse. In some instances of dry humping, such as when people wear flimsy clothing, accidental penetration or bodily fluid contact can occur.
A cautious approach, that involves only dry humping when both partners are fully clothed, can eliminate this risk.
Some other potential risks include:
•Genital irritation: Repeated rubbing may irritate the genitals or surrounding skin, causing pain or friction injuries. People should be attentive to how things feel and communicate with a partner if anything hurts, to reduce this risk.
•Consent issues: Like any sexual contact, dry humping without consent can be traumatic and psychologically harmful. It is not acceptable to dry hump someone against their will or without their permission.
It is improbable that someone will get pregnant from dry humping. Pregnancy requires the semen to make contact with an egg, which usually involves contact with genitals and bodily fluids. Therefore, if both people keep their clothes on, this is highly unlikely.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. If the genitals come into contact by accident, or if a person’s vagina makes contact with semen shortly after ejaculation, pregnancy is still possible. This might happen when:
•two people dry hump, but there are holes in their clothing or underwear
•someone sits naked on a surface where there is ejaculate, such as underwear, shortly after dry humping
•dry humping leads to intercourse or accidental penetrative sex
Even if these things occur, the risk of pregnancy is low, as the semen would have to enter someone’s vagina and travel to the egg. Brief contact with the skin makes this process unlikely, especially if the semen does not enter the vagina.
As with pregnancy, the transmission of an STI from dry humping is extremely unlikely.
However, some STIs, such as herpes, require only skin-to-skin contact. Someone may still contract these STIs from dry humping, especially if both partners do not wear clothing.
Dry humping is safer than most other sexual practices. Though the contact is less direct, it still offers opportunities for pleasure and even orgasm.
People who want to become intimate with a partner without risking pregnancy or STIs can consider this harm reduction strategy.
As with any sexual practice, it is important to talk openly about each partner’s desires and intentions. At any time, someone can always revoke consent, even if they feel aroused or they gave initial consent.
People who worry about their risk of STIs or pregnancy should talk to a healthcare provider. Regular STI testing can further reduce the risk of transmitting infection or disease.
Outercourse prevents pregnancy the same way abstinence (and all other forms of birth control) do: by keeping sperm away from an egg. Using outercourse as birth control means you do some sexual activities, but you don’t have vaginal sex (penis-in-vagina) or get any semen (cum) in the vagina.
Oct 28, 2015 · Women need much more time to get aroused and may need physical and mental stimulation. If anything is the ultimate foreplay for women, it is the art of kissing. They easily are turned off by lovers who aren't great kissers, irrespective of other good qualities.
