Abstinence means different things to different people. It may mean making the choice not to have any sexual contact including:
- self-touch (masturbation)
- vaginal sex (penis to vagina)
- anal sex (penis to anus)
- oral sex (mouth to anus or genitals)
- hand sex (hands to genitals)
For some people, abstinence may include certain types of sexual contact.
You can’t get pregnant if you are abstinent (when there is no genital contact). You can get pregnant if sperm is near the opening of the vagina. You can’t get STIs if you don’t have skin-to-skin contact or pass body fluids between partners.