What the heck does “sexually active” mean?
April asks: My boyfriend and I just started getting physical in our relationship. He has fingered me and when I went to the doctors the other day they asked me if I was sexually active. I am still a virgin but I wasn’t sure what to say. So if I have been fingered, am I sexually active? Heather Corinna replies: You’re not the only person confused by this term, so let’s see if we can’t clear it up for everyone once and for all. When healthcare professionals ask that question, they are asking from a sexual health perspective. In other words, what they are wanting to know is if a patient or client has possibly been at risk of pregnancy and/or of sexually transmitted infections. They’re asking to find out if they should do a pregnancy test, screen for those infections, if it’s time (for women) to start pap smears and also to see if you want to discuss or need birth control. Manual sex — “fingering” or “hand jobs” — can present risks of some sexually transmitted infections, particularly wh
