{{short description|Sexual activity that usually excludes penetration}} {{for|sexual intercourse without vaginal lubrication|Dry sex}} {{pp-protected|small=yes|reason=of disruption by sock puppets of User:Picker78}} {{pp-move-indef}} [[File:1925_Wegener_Les_Delassements_dEros_09_anagoria.JPG|thumb|A 1925 illustration by Gerda Wegener depicting two women fingering each other in bed]]
'''Non-penetrative sex''' or '''outercourse''' is sexual activity that usually<!--NOTE: The word "usually" is here because some sources, as shown in the lead and lower in the article, include some sexually penetrative acts as part of the definition of "outercourse", and some non-penetrative sex acts have penetrative aspects.--> does not include sexual penetration, but some forms, particularly when termed ''outercourse'', include penetrative aspects, that may result from forms of fingering or oral sex.<ref name="Harvey">{{Cite book |author=John H. Harvey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AY0BUUg-WkQC&pg=PA70 |title=Odyssey of the Heart: Close Relationships in the 21st Century |author2=Ann L. Weber |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-4106-0405-7 |page=70 |access-date=August 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518061059/https://books.google.com/books?id=AY0BUUg-WkQC&pg=PA70 |archive-date=May 18, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="O'Leamry">{{Cite book |author=Ann O'Leary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3NT39hW474C&pg=PA155 |title=Beyond Condoms: Alternative Approaches to HIV Prevention |publisher=Springer |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-306-46731-8 |page=155 |access-date=August 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231143701/http://books.google.com/books?id=J3NT39hW474C&pg=PA155 |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Crooks">{{cite book |author1=Robert Crooks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MpRnPtmdRVwC&pg=PA286 |title=Our Sexuality |author2=Karla Baur |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-495-81294-4 |pages=286–289 |quote=Noncoital forms of sexual intimacy, which have been called outercourse, can be a viable form of birth control. Outercourse includes all avenues of sexual intimacy other than penile–vaginal intercourse, including kissing, touching, mutual masturbation, and oral and anal sex. |access-date=August 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310000810/https://books.google.com/books?id=MpRnPtmdRVwC&pg=PA286 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> It generally excludes the penetrative aspects of vaginal, anal, or oral sex, but includes various forms of sexual and non-sexual activity, such as frottage, manual sex, mutual masturbation,<!--NOTE: "Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Linking#Section links" allows us to link to the Frottage, Manual sex, and Mutual masturbation sections that are lower in the article.--> kissing, or hugging.<ref name="Ross">{{cite book|first1=Michael W. |last1=Ross|first2=Lorna D. |last2=Channon-Little|first3=B. R. Simon |last3=Rosser|title=Sexual Health Concerns: Interviewing and History Taking for Health Practitioners|publisher=University of Michigan|year=2000|page=[https://archive.org/details/sexualhealthconc0000ross/page/45 45]|isbn=978-0-8036-0668-5|url=https://archive.org/details/sexualhealthconc0000ross/page/45|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="Rosenthal">See [https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT290 272] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501140819/https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT290 |date=2016-05-01 }} and [https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT321 page 301] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507064706/https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC&pg=PT321 |date=2016-05-07 }} for two different definitions of outercourse (first of the pages for no-penetration definition; second of the pages for no-penile-penetration definition). {{cite book |first=Martha |last=Rosenthal |title=Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society, 1st ed |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2012 |access-date=September 17, 2012 |isbn=978-0-618-75571-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930220034/https://books.google.com/books?id=d58z5hgQ2gsC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="LaRosa">{{cite book|author=Judith LaRosa |author2=Helaine Bader |author3=Susan Garfield |title=New Dimensions In Women's Health|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2009|page=91|access-date=August 31, 2013|isbn=978-0-7637-6592-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2X03PXd4JSoC&pg=PA91|archive-date=May 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527024305/https://books.google.com/books?id=2X03PXd4JSoC&pg=PA91|url-status=live}}</ref>
People engage in non-penetrative sex for a variety of reasons, including as a form of foreplay or as a primary or preferred sexual act.<ref name="Rosenthal"/><ref name="Carpenter">See [https://books.google.com/books?id=6qNCeI2AcY4C&pg=PT11 here onwards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201151643/https://books.google.com/books?id=6qNCeI2AcY4C&pg=PT11&lpg=PT11 |date=2016-12-01 }} and [https://books.google.com/books?id=pXXZn_qSoDoC&pg=PA48 pages 47–49] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201074430/https://books.google.com/books?id=pXXZn_qSoDoC&pg=PA48 |date=2016-12-01 }} for views on what constitutes virginity loss and therefore sexual intercourse or other sexual activity; source discusses how gay and lesbian individuals define virginity loss, and how the majority of researchers and heterosexuals define virginity loss/"technical virginity" by whether or not a person has engaged in penile-vaginal sex. {{Cite book|author=Laura M. Carpenter|title=Virginity lost: an intimate portrait of first sexual experiences|publisher=NYU Press|year=2005|access-date=October 9, 2011|isbn=978-0-8147-1652-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pXXZn_qSoDoC|archive-date=April 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428003620/https://books.google.com/books?id=pXXZn_qSoDoC|url-status=live}}</ref> Heterosexual couples may engage in non-penetrative sex as an alternative to penile-vaginal penetration, to preserve virginity, or as a type of birth control.<ref name="Carpenter"/><ref name="Intimate">{{Cite book |author1=Bryan Strong |author2=Christine DeVault |author3=Theodore F. Cohen |title=The Marriage and Family Experience: Intimate Relationship in a Changing Society |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2010 |access-date=October 8, 2011 |page=186 |isbn=978-0-534-62425-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjvoSOMB5JMC&pg=PA186 |quote=Most people agree that we maintain virginity as long as we refrain from sexual (vaginal) intercourse. But occasionally we hear people speak of 'technical virginity' [...] Data indicate that 'a very significant proportion of teens ha[ve] had experience with oral sex, even if they haven't had sexual intercourse, and may think of themselves as virgins' [...] Other research, especially research looking into virginity loss, reports that 35% of virgins, defined as people who have never engaged in vaginal intercourse, have nonetheless engaged in one or more other forms of heterosexual sexual activity (e.g., oral sex, anal sex, or mutual masturbation). |archive-date=July 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724205226/https://books.google.com/books?id=qjvoSOMB5JMC&pg=PA186 |url-status=live }}</ref> Same-sex couples may also engage in non-penetrative sex to preserve virginity,<ref name="Carpenter"/><ref name="Virgin">{{cite book|first=Michael|last=Joseph Gross|title=Like a Virgin|id=0001-8996|publisher=The Advocate/Here Publishing|year=2003|pages=44–45|access-date=March 12, 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eWQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44|archive-date=May 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503141409/https://books.google.com/books?id=eWQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Bouris">{{Cite book|title=What Parents and Teenage Girls Should Know about "Losing Your Virginity"|author=Karen Bouris|year=1995|publisher=Conari Press|pages=133–134|isbn=978-0-943233-93-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Id5MVeH_3BoC&pg=PA133|access-date=2020-10-27|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602230506/https://books.google.com/books?id=Id5MVeH_3BoC&pg=PA133|url-status=live}}</ref> with gay males using it as an alternative to anal penetration.<ref name="Carpenter"/><ref name="Virgin"/>
Although sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as herpes, HPV, and pubic lice can be transmitted through non-penetrative genital-genital or genital-body sexual activity, non-penetrative sex may be used as a form of safer sex because it is less likely that body fluids (the main source of STI transmission) will be exchanged during the activities, especially with regard to aspects that are exclusively non-penetrative.<ref name="Durham">{{cite book|title=The Person With HIV/AIDS: Nursing Perspectives, 3rd Edition|isbn = 978-81-223-0004-8|publisher=Springer Publishing Company|year=2000|page=103|access-date=January 29, 2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSCQ4L8kSXsC&pg=PA103|author1=Jerry D. Durham |author2=Felissa R. Lashley }}</ref><ref name="aids.gov">{{cite web|title=Sexual Risk Factors|publisher=AIDS.gov|access-date=March 4, 2011|url=http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/sexual-risk-factors/|archive-date=December 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204154103/http://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/sexual-risk-factors/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Hales">{{Cite book|author=Dianne Hales|title=An Invitation to Health Brief 2010-2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2008|access-date=August 29, 2013|pages=269–271|isbn=978-0-495-39192-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oP91HVIMPRIC&pg=PA269|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231143640/http://books.google.com/books?id=oP91HVIMPRIC&pg=PA269|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Definitions and practices==
===General=== While non-penetrative sex (or outercourse) is usually defined as excluding sexual penetration,<ref name="Ross"/><ref name="Rosenthal"/><ref name="LaRosa"/> some non-penetrative sex acts can have both non-penetrative and penetrative components and may therefore still be categorized as non-penetrative sex. Oral sex, for example, which can include oral caress of the genitalia, as well as penile penetration of the mouth or oral penetration of the vagina, may be categorized as non-penetrative sex.<ref name="Harvey"/><ref name="O'Leamry" /> Oral sex may also be considered outercourse solely because it is not vaginal or anal intercourse.<ref name="Kalichman">{{Cite book|author=Seth C. Kalichman |title=Positive Prevention: Reducing HIV Transmission among People Living with HIV/AIDS|publisher=Springer|year=2005|access-date=September 1, 2013|page=167|isbn=978-0-306-48700-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=geA6Qq84T1gC&pg=PA167|quote=The proportion reporting having ever engaged in 'outercourse', defined as sexual contact with neither vaginal nor anal penetration...|archive-date=March 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318140344/http://books.google.com/books?id=geA6Qq84T1gC&pg=PA167|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Norsigian">{{Cite book|author=Boston Women's Health Book Collective, Judy Norsigian|title=Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause| publisher = Simon & Schuster|year = 2008|access-date=September 1, 2013|page =[https://archive.org/details/ourbodiesourselv00bost_0/page/143 143]| isbn = 978-1-4391-0343-2|url=https://archive.org/details/ourbodiesourselv00bost_0|url-access=registration|quote=For some women, outercourse, defined as lovemaking without vaginal or anal penetration...}}</ref>
The words ''penetration'' and ''penetrative'' may be restricted to penile-vaginal penetration, and, in this way, the definition of outercourse additionally includes penetrative anal sex, with the term ''outercourse'' used to contrast the term ''sexual intercourse'' as vaginal sex.<ref name="Crooks"/><ref name="Blonna">{{Cite book|author=Richard Blonna |author2=Janice Loschiavo |author3=Dan Watter |title=Health Counseling: A Microskills Approach for Counselors, Educators, and School Nurses| publisher = Jones & Bartlett Learning|year = 2011|access-date=September 1, 2013|pages =170–171| isbn = 978-0-7637-8156-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jyFP945NOIC&pg=PA170|quote=[N]onpenetrative sexual pleasure. This group of methods, sometimes called outercourse, provides options for the satisfaction of sexual desire and orgasm that do not involve the penis penetrating the vagina.}}</ref><ref name="White">{{Cite book|author=Lois White |author2=Gena Duncan |author3=Wendy Baumle |title=Medical Surgical Nursing: An Integrated Approach, 3rd ed|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2011|access-date=September 1, 2013|page=1161|isbn=978-1-133-70714-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LWEJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1161|quote=Some people consider outercourse to mean sex play without vaginal intercourse, while others consider this to mean sex play with no penetration at all (vaginal, oral, or anal).|archive-date=March 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318184025/http://books.google.com/books?id=LWEJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1161|url-status=live}}</ref> Definitions restricting the terms ''non-penetrative sex'' and ''outercourse'' to whether penile penetration has occurred,<ref name="Rosenthal"/><ref name="Collins">{{cite dictionary|title=Non-penetrative|dictionary=Collins English Dictionary|access-date=September 1, 2013|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/non-penetrative|archive-date=March 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305222951/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/non-penetrative|url-status=live}}</ref> or to non-penetrative sexual acts that do not involve exchanges of potentially infectious body fluids,<ref name="Harvey"/><ref name="Durham"/> also exist.
The term ''heavy petting'' covers a broad range of foreplay activities, typically involving some genital stimulation, but not the direct act of penetrative sexual intercourse.<ref name="Heavy petting">{{cite web|title=Heavy petting|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|access-date=September 1, 2013|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/heavy-petting|archive-date=December 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208121035/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/heavy-petting}}</ref>
===Frottage<!--'Frottage (sexual act)' redirects here-->=== thumb|200px|Frot: two men rubbing their penises together to create sexual sensations '''''Frottage'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> is the general term for the act of rubbing any part of the body, including the buttocks, the breasts, abdomen, thighs, feet, hands, legs and sexual organs against the sexual organ of another person; this is done whether naked or clothed and is more commonly known as ''dry humping'' or ''dry sex''.<ref name="Hodge">{{cite journal| last = M.| first = Hodge|author2=Evelyn Blackwood |author3=Jeffrey M. Dickemann |author4=Doug Jones |author5=Frank Muscarella |author6=Paul L. Vasey | author7-link = Walter L. Williams|author7=Walter L. Williams | title = The Evolution of Human Homosexual Behavior| journal = Current Anthropology| volume =41| issue = 3| pages = 385–413| year = 2000| doi = 10.1086/300145 | pmid=10768881| s2cid = 5559174}}</ref> When frottage includes genital-genital rubbing, it is sometimes called ''genito-genital'' or ''GG rubbing''.<ref name="Hodge"/>
Couples may engage in frottage as a form of foreplay or simply as a method to achieve sexual gratification without the penetrative aspects of vaginal, anal or oral sex, which may also be their personal way of preserving virginity<ref name="Carpenter"/><ref name="Intimate"/> or their way of practicing safer sex.<ref name="Durham"/> Often, young people will engage in frottage as an earlier stage of sexual intimacy before their idea of more explicit sexual contact is defined.
Other terms associated with frottage are: * ''Princeton rub'', ''Ivy League rub'', and so on are slang terms referring to male-male frot or intercrural sex or both, presumably surviving from the days when these colleges only admitted men.<ref name="Piepenburg"/> W. H. Auden was proud of having been the first person to use the terms ''Princeton rub'' and ''Princeton first-year'' in print.<ref>{{cite book | title=W. H. Auden, a biography, Volume 1981, Part 1 | first=Humphrey | last=Carpenter | publisher=Houghton Mifflin Co. | year=1981 | isbn=978-0-395-30853-0 | page=[https://archive.org/details/whaudenbiography0000carp/page/48 48] | url=https://archive.org/details/whaudenbiography0000carp/page/48 }}</ref> * The term ''frottage'' derives from the French verb ''frotter'' (i.e., to rub). Three terms derive from ''frotter''. These include frottage, the sexual act involving rubbing; frot, the sexual act that refers exclusively to male-male genital rubbing without penetration (but may also be referred to as ''frottage'');<ref name="Piepenburg">{{cite magazine|first=Erik|last=Piepenburg|title=What's Rub Got to Do With it?|magazine=Out|date=February 2006|access-date=July 4, 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2IEAAAAMBAJ&q=frot+weintraub+definition&pg=PA76}}</ref> and frotteurism, a paraphilia involving obsession with frottage or performing frottage non-consensually (e.g., pressing one's genitals against a stranger on a crowded subway); this was once called "frottage", but the usage is no longer acceptable.<ref>''Eccentric and Bizarre Behaviors'', Louis R. Franzini and Jon Squires, 1995.</ref>
===Manual sex<!--'Manual sex' and 'Manual intercourse' redirect here-->=== {{distinguish|Sex manual}} [[File:Unidentified artist 'Horseplay' (Haru no tawamure).jpg|thumb|19th century Japanese illustration depicting a handjob]] [[File:1925 Wegener Les Delassements dEros 03 anagoria.JPG|thumb|1925 illustration by Gerda Wegener depicting fingering]]
'''Manual sex'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> (sometimes called '''manual intercourse'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->)<ref>{{cite book| last1 = Juhasz | first1 = Alexandra | last2 = Gund | first2 = Catherine |title=AIDS TV: Identity, Community, and Alternative Video|publisher=Duke University Press|year=1995|page=107|access-date=October 23, 2023|isbn=978-0-82231-695-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3OzH4XKscwC&pg=PA107}}</ref> involves the use of one's hands or fingers to stimulate the genitals of another person.<ref>{{cite book| last1 = Hoyle | first1 = Alice | last2 = McGeeney | first2 = Ester |title=Great Relationships and Sex Education|publisher=Taylor and Francis|year=2019|access-date=July 11, 2023|isbn=978-1-35118-825-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KE7ADwAAQBAJ&pg=PT261}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Corinna | first = Heather|title=S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College|publisher=Da Capo Press|year=2007|access-date=September 15, 2023|page=154|isbn=978-1-60094-010-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L_GlCAAAQBAJ&dq=%E2%80%9Cmanual+sex%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%9Chandjob%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%9Cfingering%E2%80%9D&pg=PA154}}</ref> Types of manual sex include the handjob (the manual stimulation of the penis or scrotum)<ref name="Handjob">{{cite web|title=Handjob|publisher=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary|year=2013|access-date=September 1, 2013|url=http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/handjob|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130902173658/http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/handjob|archive-date=September 2, 2013}}</ref> and fingering (the manual stimulation of the vagina, clitoris, or other parts of the vulva).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Crooks |first1=Robert L. |last2=Baur |first2=Karla |title = Our Sexuality | publisher = Cengage Learning|year = 2016|access-date = September 13, 2023|page=253 |isbn= 978-1-30588-742-8 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=isIaCgAAQBAJ&dq=%E2%80%9Cmanual+stimulation%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%9Cvulva%E2%80%9D&pg=PT285}}</ref> Manually stimulating another person's anus (anal fingering) is also included.<ref name="Richters2">{{cite journal | last1 = Richters | first1 = J. | last2 = Hendry | first2 = O. | last3 = Kippax | first3 = S. | year = 2003 | title = When safe sex isn't safe | journal = Culture, Health & Sexuality | volume = 5 | issue = 1| pages = 37–52 | doi=10.1080/713804637| s2cid = 71439336 }}</ref>
Manual sex may be used as foreplay<ref name="Richters"/> or as a physically intimate act in its own right. It might result in one partner achieving orgasm. If no bodily fluids are exchanged (as is common), it is considered safe sex, and greatly reduces the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.<ref name="Durham"/><ref name="aids.gov"/><ref name="Hales"/>
===Mutual masturbation<!--'Mutual masturbation' redirects here-->=== [[Image:Geiger-masturbation-mutuelle.jpg|thumb|right|1840 Johann Nepomuk Geiger depiction of a couple engaging in mutual masturbation by touching each other's genitals]] '''Mutual masturbation'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> usually involves two or more people who either simultaneously masturbate or perform manual sex on each other.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fulbright|first=Yvonne K.|title=The Better Sex Guide to Extraordinary Lovemaking|year=2010|publisher=Quiver|isbn=978-1-59233-352-3|page=141|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mPVEEWaKK1UC&pg=PA141|access-date=2015-10-27|archive-date=2016-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427041417/https://books.google.com/books?id=mPVEEWaKK1UC&pg=PA141|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Richters">{{cite journal | last1 = Richters | first1 = J. | last2 = Song | first2 = A. | year = 1999 | title = Australian university students agree with Clinton's definition of sex | journal = BMJ | volume = 318 | issue = 7189| pages = 1011–12 | doi=10.1136/bmj.318.7189.1011a| pmid = 10195984 | pmc = 1115389 }}</ref> This may be done in situations where the participants do not feel ready, physically able, socially at liberty, or willing to engage in any penetrative sex act, or a particular penetrative sex act, but still wish to engage in a mutual sexual activity.
Mutual masturbation may be used as an alternative to penile-vaginal penetration, to preserve virginity or to prevent pregnancy.<ref name="Carpenter"/><ref name="Intimate"/>
In partnered manual genital stroking to reach orgasm or expanded orgasm, both people focus on creating and experiencing an orgasm in one person. Typically, one person lies down pantless, while their partner sits alongside. The partner who is sitting uses their hands and fingers (typically with a lubricant){{cn|date=November 2022}} to slowly stroke the penis or clitoris and other genitals of the partner. Expanded orgasm as a mutual masturbation technique reportedly creates orgasm experiences more intense and extensive than what can be described as, or included in the definition of, a regular orgasm.<ref name="ESO">{{cite book|title=The ESO Ecstasy Program: Better, Safer Sexual Intimacy and Extended Orgasmic Response|author1=Alan Brauer |author2=Donna Brauer |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Warner Books|year=1991|pages=24–25|quote=Masters in Johnson ... described female orgasm as "a brief episode of physical release" characterized by either "a series of rapidly recurrent orgasmic experiences between which no recordable plateau-phase intervals can be demonstrated or by a single, long-continued orgasmic episode... status orgasmus is may last from 20 to more than 60 seconds"}}</ref> It includes a range of sensations that include orgasms that are full-bodied, and orgasms that last from a few minutes to many hours.<ref>Patricia Taylor, PhD thesis (2000), In her PhD research study, the average time spent in an EO session was 54 minutes.</ref>
===Exclusively non-penetrative=== [[Image:Wiki-mam-intcs.png|thumb|right|Mammary intercourse, a form of non-penetrative sex]] [[File:Hyacinthus and Zephyrus 3.jpg|thumb|Red-figure Greek illustration of intercrural sex between a winged god (Eros or Zephyrus) and a youth (perhaps Hyacinthus) ]] <!--If you don't like the above picture, create/obtain a suitable (i.e., non-hideous) replacement.-->
Non-penetrative sex may sometimes be divided into acts that are exclusively non-penetrative and those that are not.{{By whom|date=June 2017}} Exclusively non-penetrative sexual acts include: * Bagpiping: when the penis is inserted in the other person's armpit.<ref Name="Morton">{{cite book| last =Morton| first =Mark Steven | title =The Lover's Tongue: A Merry Romp Through the Language of Love and Sex | publisher =Insomniac Press| year =2003| page=186| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=tnwAlLgWEhAC&q=%22Axillary+intercourse%22&pg=PA186| isbn=978-1-894663-51-9 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sex-lexis.com/Sex-Dictionary/axillary%20intercourse |title=axillary intercourse - Dictionary of sexual terms<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-08-11 |archive-date=2018-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720194956/http://www.sex-lexis.com/Sex-Dictionary/axillary |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Knaapila, A., Tuorila, H., Vuoksimaa, E., Keskitalo-Vuokko, K., Rose, R. J., Kaprio, J., & Silventoinen, K. (2011). Pleasantness of the Odor of Androstenone as a Function of Sexual Intercourse Experience in Women and Men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1-6.</ref> * Bundling: a courtship tradition in some Christian communities that was opposed by the religious right and has largely died out. The two young people were each in a sack tied up at the neck, and put in a bed together for the night. * Erotic massage: rubbing of the body to create pleasure and relaxation. This can be done between two or more people of any gender and sexual orientation. It can involve the use of oils (heated or otherwise) or just the individual's hands. It is also known as ''sensual massage.''<ref name="livestrong">{{cite web|url=http://www.livestrong.com/article/69306-sensual-massage/|title=What Is Sensual Massage? | LIVESTRONG.COM|publisher=livestrong.com|access-date=September 23, 2014|archive-date=September 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908020248/https://www.livestrong.com/article/69306-sensual-massage/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Phillips | first1 = N. A. | year = 2000 | title = Female sexual dysfunction: evaluation and treatment | journal = American Family Physician | volume = 62 | issue = 1| pages = 127–148 | pmid = 10905784 }}</ref> * Footjob: using the feet to stimulate a partner's genitals. The sexual rubbing may involve stroking to orgasm.<ref>Bruckner, A. (2010). Illustrated Foot Sex: Footjobs & Foot Fetishism. Brian Phillippe.</ref> For some individuals the practice may be an aspect of a foot fetish. * Frot: act of genital-genital rubbing between males (especially penis-to-penis contact).<!--NOTE: This is already linked in the Frottage section above; per WP:OVERLINKING, it should not be linked again.--> * Handjob: the manual sexual stimulation of another person's penis. * Intercrural sex:<!--NOTE: This is already linked in the Frottage section above; per WP:OVERLINKING, it should not be linked again.--> when the penis is stimulated by placing it between another individual's thighs. Lubrication may be used to allow the penis to move more freely between the thighs.<ref name="Piepenburg"/><ref name="thefreedictionary">{{cite web|url=http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Intercrural+Sex|title=Intercrural Sex - definition of Intercrural Sex by Medical dictionary|publisher=medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com|access-date=September 23, 2014|archive-date=September 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912183124/http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Intercrural+Sex|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Cartwright, R., Ben‐Nagi, J., & Smith, R. (2007). "Intercrural sex leading to an unexpected pregnancy in a woman with a stenotic vagina secondary to congenital adrenal hyperplasia." ''BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology'', 114(6), 767-768.</ref> * Intergluteal sex: stimulation of the penis using the buttocks. It differs from anal sex because no penetration of the anus occurs. The penis is stimulated by moving between the buttocks.<ref name="completeorgasmguide">{{cite web|url=http://www.completeorgasmguide.com/intergluteal-sex/|title=Completeorgasmguide.com|publisher=completeorgasmguide.com|access-date=September 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912182312/http://www.completeorgasmguide.com/intergluteal-sex/|archive-date=September 12, 2014}}</ref> * Kissing: the touching of one person's lips against another person's can be regarded as a sexual act, especially deep kissing (French kissing) where one person inserts their tongue into the partner's mouth. Kissing may also be done on other parts of the body and is commonly a part of foreplay.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Hans | first1 = J. D. | last2 = Kimberly | first2 = C. | year = 2011 | title = Abstinence, Sex, and Virginity: Do They Mean What We Think They Mean?. | journal = American Journal of Sexuality Education | volume = 6 | issue = 4| pages = 329–342 | doi=10.1080/15546128.2011.624475| s2cid = 144574968 }}</ref> * Mammary intercourse: the stimulation of the penis by placing the penis between the breasts and moving the penis up and down to simulate penetration and to create pleasure.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Citation O'Barr | first1 = W. M. | year = 2011 | title = Sex and Advertising | journal = Advertising & Society Review | volume = 12 | issue = 2| page = 2 | doi=10.1353/asr.2011.0019| s2cid = 154834026 | doi-access = free }}</ref> * Nipple stimulation: when one partner caresses (either manually or orally) the nipples of their partner. Any individual can participate in this act and it can be done in pairs or groups.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Levin | first1 = R. | last2 = Meston | first2 = C. | year = 2006 | title = Nipple/breast stimulation and sexual arousal in young men and women | journal = The Journal of Sexual Medicine | volume = 3 | issue = 3| pages = 450–454 | doi=10.1111/j.1743-6109.2006.00230.x | pmid=16681470| citeseerx = 10.1.1.421.7798 }}</ref> This can lead to orgasm for the receiving partner.<ref name="m713">{{cite web | last=Farnsworth | first=Carolyn | title=Nipple orgasm: What it is, and how to have one | website=MedicalNewsToday | date=2022-02-28 | url=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/nipple-orgasm | access-date=2025-02-16}}</ref> * Tribadism: a form of lesbian sex where women rub genitalia against each other (either rubbing vulvas together or rubbing one's vulva against other parts of another individual's body).<ref name="Greenberg">{{cite book|title =Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality|id = 9780763741488|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2007|page=429|access-date=December 19, 2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZdYh_iFZvbkC&q=Lesbians+and+tribadism&pg=PA429|isbn =978-0-7637-4148-8|author1=Jerrold S. Greenberg |author2=Clint E. Bruess |author3=Sarah C. Conklin }}</ref><ref name="Carroll">{{cite book| author =Janell L. Carroll|title =Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity|isbn =978-0-495-60274-3|publisher=Cengage Learning|year=2009|page=272|access-date=December 19, 2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5f8mQx7ULs4C&q=Lesbians+and+tribadism&pg=PA272}}</ref>
===Non-exclusively non-penetrative=== * Fingering: using fingers to stimulate a partner's vagina, vulva (particularly the clitoris), or anus. * Oral sex: stimulation of the genitals using the mouth and throat; fellatio is oral stimulation of the penis, cunnilingus is oral stimulation of the vulva,<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Edwards | first1 = S. | last2 = Carne | first2 = C. | year = 1998 | title = Oral sex and the transmission of viral STIs | journal = Sexually Transmitted Infections | volume = 74 | issue = 1| pages = 6–10 | doi=10.1136/sti.74.1.6| pmid = 9634307 | pmc = 1758078 }}</ref> and anilingus is oral stimulation of the anus.<ref>Choices, N. H. S. (2012). What is oral sex?-Health questions-NHS Choices.</ref> * Vibrator stimulation: massage of genitals and erogenous zones using a vibrator.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = McCarthy | first1 = B. W. | last2 = Ginsberg | first2 = R. L. | last3 = Fucito | first3 = L. M. | year = 2006 | title = Resilient sexual desire in heterosexual couples | journal = The Family Journal | volume = 14 | issue = 1| pages = 59–64 | doi=10.1177/1066480705282056| s2cid = 143488247 }}</ref> * BDSM: various BDSM activities do not involve penetration.<ref name = Cosmoa32981167> {{Cite web |url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a32981167/outercourse/ |title=Cosmopolitan What is Outercourse |date=26 June 2020 |access-date=2020-09-09 |archive-date=2020-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923205444/https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a32981167/outercourse/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Health risks== thumb|right|200px|''Allegory of April''. Francesco del Cossa, Ercole de' Roberti<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iguzzini.com/projects/project-gallery/the-hall-of-the-months-at-palazzo-schifanoia/ |title=The Hall of the Months at Palazzo Schifanoia |website=iGuzzini illuminazione |access-date=1 October 2024}}</ref> and Gherardo di Andrea Fiorini.<ref name="Hall of the Months">{{cite web |url=https://www.artecultura.fe.it/378/il-salone-dei-mesi |title=The Hall of the Months |website=Civic Museums of Ancient Art, Ferrara |access-date=1 October 2024}}</ref> Fresco in the Schifanoia Palace, Ferrara. Around 1469
There is a sociocultural viewpoint that because non-penetrative sex usually does not involve a direct exchange of semen or vaginal fluids, and because at no point (in exclusively non-penetrative sex acts) does anything penetrate the vulva, vagina or anus, these acts are risk free. Although the risks associated with non-penetrative sex acts are significantly less than those associated with penetrative sex, there are still risks that can occur.<ref name="Durham"/><ref name="aids.gov"/><ref name="Hales"/> There is a slight risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with certain non-penetrative sex acts.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Clutterbuck | first1 = D. J. | last2 = Flowers | first2 = P. | last3 = Barber | first3 = T. | last4 = Wilson | first4 = H. | last5 = Nelson | first5 = M. | last6 = Hedge | first6 = B. | last7 = Sullivan | first7 = A. K. | year = 2012 | title = UK national guideline on safer sex advice | journal = International Journal of STD & AIDS | volume = 23 | issue = 6| pages = 381–388 | doi=10.1258/ijsa.2012.200312| pmid = 22807529 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
Pregnancy can still occur with anal sex or other forms of sexual activity where the penis is near the vagina (such as intercrural sex or other genital-genital rubbing) where sperm can be deposited near the entrance of the vagina and can travel along the vagina's lubricating fluids; the risk of pregnancy can also occur without the penis being near the vagina because sperm may be transported to the vaginal opening by the vagina coming in contact with fingers or other non-genital body parts that have come in contact with semen.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=R. Murray|title=Sex and the American teenager seeing through the myths and confronting the issues|year=2009|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Education|location=Lanham, Md.|isbn=978-1-60709-018-2|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gM9EFgsJHyoC&pg=PA81|access-date=2015-10-27|archive-date=2016-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116155105/https://books.google.com/books?id=gM9EFgsJHyoC&pg=PA81|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Edlin|first=Gordon|title=Health & Wellness|year=2012|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|isbn=978-1-4496-3647-0|page=213|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=csGk6j5rlN0C&pg=PA213|access-date=2015-10-27|archive-date=2016-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116175037/https://books.google.com/books?id=csGk6j5rlN0C&pg=PA213|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Medley-Rath | first1 = S. R. | year = 2007 | title = Am I still a virgin?": What counts as sex in 20 years of Seventeen | journal = Sexuality and Culture | volume = 11 | issue = 2| pages = 24–38 | doi=10.1007/s12119-007-9002-x| s2cid = 144662293 }}</ref> Contrary to a common misconception, it is not possible to get pregnant from semen released in a swimming pool or any body of water without penetration. The sperm cells would be quickly killed by the chlorinated water and would not survive long enough to reach the vagina.<ref>a. {{Cite web |last=Mikkelson |first=David |date=2009-07-12 |title=Sperm in Swimming Pool |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pool-party/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Snopes |language=en-US }}<br />b. {{Cite news |last=Andelane |first=Lana |date=2020-02-26 |title=Family Planning debunks claim women can get pregnant 'without penetration' in pools |language=en |work=Newshub |url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2020/02/family-planning-debunks-claim-women-can-get-pregnant-without-penetration-in-pools.html |access-date=2022-07-23 |archive-date=2021-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117064316/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/lifestyle/2020/02/family-planning-debunks-claim-women-can-get-pregnant-without-penetration-in-pools.html |url-status=dead }}<br />c. {{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Magdalene |date=2020-06-13 |title=Fact-Checking the Urban Legends About Getting Pregnant in Swimming Pools |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/swimming-pool-pregnancy-sperm |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=MEL Magazine |language=en-US }}<br />d. {{Cite web |last=Ewe |first=Koh |date=2020-02-24 |title=Indonesian Government Official Sitti Hikmawatty Thinks Women Can Get Pregnant From Swimming in Pools With Men |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/strong-sperm-women-pregnant-swimming-pool-indonesian-official/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=Vice |language=en }}</ref>
Like non-exclusive non-penetrative sex acts, STI transmission varies for exclusively non-penetrative sexual activities; some common STIs transmitted through exclusively non-penetrative sex acts, and how they are contracted, are the following:<ref name="plannedparenthood">{{cite web|url=http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex-101.htm|title=STDs :: Planned Parenthood|publisher=plannedparenthood.org|access-date=September 23, 2014|archive-date=June 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140601011956/http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/stds-hiv-safer-sex-101.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> * Crab lice (also known as pubic lice or crabs) can be spread through close contact with an infected person * Chancroid is spread through skin-to-skin contact when an infected individual has sores present and these sores come into contact with another individual (generally in the genital area) * Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is spread through coming into contact with various body secretions (saliva, genital excretions, blood etc.) * Genital warts is similar to herpes, but caused by a different virus. It is also spread by skin-to-skin contact with the genitals. * Herpes can be spread through kissing or anytime an infected mouth or genitals comes into contact with another individual's mouth, genitals or hand (when it occurs on the genitals, it is known as genital herpes) * Human papillomavirus (HPV) is spread through skin-to-skin contact * Molluscum contagiosum is spread through close contact with an infected person (sharing personal items or close skin-to-skin contact) * Scabies is spread through close contact with an infected individual * Syphilis can be spread through kissing or manual sex, but is much more likely to be spread through vaginal, anal or oral intercourse * Trichomoniasis (trich) can be spread through sharing sex toys or any time genital fluid is passed from one person to another
With regard to non-exclusive non-penetrative sex acts, the risks somewhat increase because there is penetration (either of the vagina, anus or mouth) and there is the potential for bodily fluids (semen, vaginal secretions, saliva) to be exchanged. In addition to the aforementioned STIs, the following can be transmitted through non-exclusive non-penetrative sex acts:<ref>Choices, N. H. S. (2013). "Sex activities and risk-Live Well-NHS Choices". ''Men's Health'', 18, 39.</ref> * Chlamydia is generally spread through vaginal or anal intercourse; in rare cases, it may be spread through oral sex * Gonorrhoea is generally spread through vaginal or anal intercourse, though it may also be spread through oral sex * Hepatitis B can be spread through oral sex
Many individuals are concerned about the risk of HIV/AIDS.<ref name="Hales"/> Generally, a person must either have unprotected sexual intercourse (vaginal or anal), use an infected syringe or have the virus passed from mother to child to be infected.<ref name="Hales"/> A person cannot be infected from casual contact, such as hugging; however, there is some risk if HIV-infected blood or genital secretions (semen or vaginal secretions) enter an open wound.<ref name="Hales"/>
The only way for complete protection from pregnancy or STI risk is to completely abstain from all sexual activities. However, there are several ways to decrease the risk, should a person decide to be sexually active.
Some barrier methods include: * Condoms, which can provide STI protection * Dental dams, which offer STI protection during oral sex * Latex gloves or finger cots, which can be used during manual sex to prevent the risk of STI transmission<ref>{{cite book| last = Leahy| first = Robert R.|title=Practicing Cognitive Therapy: A Guide to Interventions|publisher=Jason Aronson, Incorporated|year=1997|page=345|access-date= October 23, 2023|isbn=978-1-46163-002-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qv-tPVpOZYoC&pg=PA345}}</ref>
If a person is concerned about the minor risk of pregnancy from non-penetrative sex, there are also several hormonal contraceptive birth control methods that can be used. Dual protection (using both a barrier device and hormonal method) can be significantly effective at preventing both pregnancy and STI transmission.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berer |first=Marge |date=May 2006 |title=Dual Protection: More Needed than Practised or Understood |journal=Reprod Health Matters |volume=14 |issue=28: Condoms Yes, "Abstinence" No |doi=10.1016/S0968-8080(06)28262-4 |pmid=17101435 |pages=162–70|s2cid=24264690 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Human sexuality}} {{Div col}} * Edging * Eroto-comatose lucidity * Kunyaza * Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals * Physical intimacy * Sex magic * Sex party * Sex position * Side * 69 * Venus Butterfly {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist|33em}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book | author = Ann van Sevenant | title =Sexual Outercourse: A Philosophy of Lovemaking | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=Av3ZAAAAMAAJ | isbn =978-90-429-1617-3 | publisher = Peeters | year = 2005 |pages = 249 pages}} * {{cite book | author = Ian Kerner | title =She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman | url =https://books.google.com/books?id=aDwVuI7HAusC&q=Outercourse+is+not+sexual+intercourse&pg=PA5-IA3 | isbn =978-0-06-053825-5 | publisher = HarperCollins | year = 2004 |pages = 240 pages| author-link =Ian Kerner }}
== External links == {{Commons category|Mutual masturbation}} * [http://man2manalliance.org Frot Man2Man Alliance] promoting non-penetrative male-to-male sexual expression * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070420095745/http://www.nvsh.nl/skills/greatsex.htm "Great sex without intercourse", NVSH] (contains graphics of sexual acts) (archived 20 April 2007) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070409074411/http://www.clitical.com/female-masturbation/mutual-masturbation.php Clitical.com: Mutual Masturbation] Female mutual masturbation (archived 9 April 2007)
{{Sex}} {{Human sexuality}} {{sexpositions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Non-Penetrative Sex}} Category:Non-penetrative sex Category:Sexual acts Category:Masturbation Category:Methods of birth control Category:Contraception for males