When you hear the term “safe sex,” do you think of protection against unwanted pregnancies (also called contraception) and  STI/STDs?

If so, the next thing you probably think of is a condom, which is the most common way to prevent these unwanted consequences. But condoms don’t work all the time.

This table shows some of the different methods used to make sex safe and what their failure rates are when it comes to preventing unwanted pregnancies, STIs, HIV infections and other consequences of sexual activity.

*Chart references found at www.cdc.gov

*Failure rate/typical use means the number of pregnancies out of 100 women who used this form of protection regularly for one year.

Using these methods will result in varying rates of effectiveness, but it is important to realize that safe sex is about risk reduction, not risk elimination. This is a critical distinction.

Here’s the difference between risk reduction and elimination. If you reduce your risk, you lower your odds of being negatively affected by the behavior. If you eliminate your risk, you make a choice that prevents any chance of being affected by the behavior.

Condoms, the Pill and the Shot should be called “safer sex.” The only “safe sex” method on the chart is the last one—abstinence.

Now ask yourself, what is acceptable risk for you?