Making love less risky
The following steps show how to correctly use a condom, according to LifeStyles, a maker of latex condoms:
Use a new condom before each sex act.
When the penis is hard (before any sexual contact), place condom on tip and roll it down all the way.
After ejaculation, withdraw penis while still hard. Hold on to rim of condom while withdrawing so nothing spills.
Both partners should avoid further sexual contact until both wash their sex organs and any other areas that came in contact with body fluids.
A condom is just one contraceptive that can help sexually active people engage in safe sex.
Information on sex and how to practice safe sex is available in the Student Wellness Center located in the north entrance of the Student Health and Wellness Center Building just north of Romney Stadium.
Jaylyn Merrill, a graduate student in community health education who works in the center, said health educators try to teach people how to protect themselves so they won’t put themselves in a situation involving sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy.
Merrill said there is only one sure-fire way in which people can avoid either of these situations.
“Any health educator will tell you abstinence is the safest way not to get pregnant,” Merrill said. “People think, ‘it’s not going to happen to me’ or if they get [an STD], they can get rid of it.”
She said people might not think about who a sexual partner has been with before.
“The decision to have sex is a big decision,” Merrill said. “With that decision comes responsibility.”
Behind abstinence in capacity to protect is to have a monogamous relationship, meaning a relationship with only one partner, Merrill said. Safe alternatives include dry kissing, mutual masturbation (on unbroken skin) or massage.
Other alternatives are seen as more risky, according to the handout. These include French or wet kissing, vaginal intercourse with condoms, oral sex with condoms or anal intercourse with condoms. Some of the most unsafe practices include any intercourse (oral, anal or vaginal) without condoms, oral/anal contact or fisting.
Fisting and anal intercourse are activities which may tear bodily tissues, causing problems, Merrill said. Therefore, she said people should use a condom when engaging in such activities.
“A common misperception is that a lot of contraceptives are prevention against STDs,” she said.
However, condoms used with spermicide are seen as reliable protection against STDs, according to a handout reprinted from a textbook Merrill uses when she teaches community health.
Most contraceptives are female-based, Merrill said. The cervical cap and diaphragm are contraceptives inserted into the vagina over the cervix and require a visit to a health care provider for fitting. They can be inserted up to six hours before intercourse. Diaphragms typically yield a 20 percent pregnancy rate. Cervical caps yield a 20 to 40 percent pregnancy rate. Both devices cost between $100 and $130 if used for three years.
Ora contraceptives yield a 5 percent pregnancy rate and must be taken daily. Commonly referred to as “the pill” and requiring a prescription, oral contraceptives cost between $10 and $30 at the Student Wellness Center.
Norplant is a capsule-sized implant in the woman’s arm which lasts approximately five years. Norplant yields a 0.05 pregnancy rate and costs approximately $160.
The latter methods of contraception all work by altering hormones in a woman’s body to change the natural menstrual cycle and to prevent ovulation, according to Sexuality and Character Education, a textbook used in sexual education classes at Utah State University.