Most adults will, at some point while dating, want to engage in intimate contact, but you should move at your own pace and not be coerced into any intimate relationship for which you are not ready.

Intimate contact can range from kissing to sexual intercourse, and any of this type of contact can expose you to health risks. We live in an age where sexually transmitted diseases from oral and genital herpes to HIV can be transmitted through intimate contact with another person. Some sexually transmitted diseases have no cure and can be life-threatening.

Before intimate contact, you should have discussions with the other person to determine any health risk. You cannot always be sure that someone is perfectly healthy just by looking at him or her. Someone may be asymptomatic, but still able to transmit a disease.

Someone may tell you that they are perfectly healthy, but he or she may not be truthful about health status. Someone may be carrying a disease and not even know it.

Regular tests are recommended, but they have limitations. Even if people have blood tests, there is sometimes a lag-time between when a disease can be detected from a blood test, and of course, any test will not address subsequent exposures.

If you know you have a sexually transmitted disease, you should disclose your status to the person with whom you are considering getting intimately involved so that the other person can determine whether he or she wants to engage in intimate contact with you. While it is true that the other person may not want to engage in intimate contact if he or she knows of the risk, that should be his or her choice, not yours.

Safe-sex protocols should always be used, whether or not you know someone has a sexually transmitted disease, including, but not limited to, wearing a condom. Consult with a physician or other qualified professional regarding appropriate protections.