Valentine's Day was the first day of National Condom Week in the U.S. You can find out more about condoms on this Planned Parenthood page and watch the below instructional video to learn the proper way to put one on.
Hormonal birth control methods can do a great job of preventing pregnancy but they do nothing to reduce the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection.
One in four sexually active teens have an STI and up to 75% of sexually active men and women will have one at some point. Women's sexual anatomy makes them 10 to 20 times more likely than men to become infected with sexually transmitted infections. Yup, that's right, ten to twenty times! In pregnant women, young girls and female teens the cervix is even more vulnerable to infection.
The correct use of condoms (the majority of condom failure is the result of inconsistent or incorrect use, not breakage) offers the best protection for people who are sexually active.
A 1993 study showed that using condoms every time prevented HIV transmission for 169 out of 171 women who had male partners with HIV. Meanwhile 8 out of 10 women whose partners didn't use condoms every time became infected. Latex condoms also help reduce the risk of picking up a slew of other sexually transmitted infections including gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, chancroid, trichomoniasis, HPV, herpes, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Other advantages of condoms are their price and availability.
Scarleteen's Condom's Basics: A User's manual is a helpful article whether you're just beginning to consider becoming sexually active or looking for a refresher and/or tips to improve your condom usage.
Let's face it, there are no good excuses to be unsafe. As Planned Parenthood point out, it's not a matter of trust. “People carry sexually transmitted infections without knowing it.”
One in four sexually active teens have an STI and up to 75% of sexually active men and women will have one at some point. Women's sexual anatomy makes them 10 to 20 times more likely than men to become infected with sexually transmitted infections. Yup, that's right, ten to twenty times! In pregnant women, young girls and female teens the cervix is even more vulnerable to infection.
The correct use of condoms (the majority of condom failure is the result of inconsistent or incorrect use, not breakage) offers the best protection for people who are sexually active.
A 1993 study showed that using condoms every time prevented HIV transmission for 169 out of 171 women who had male partners with HIV. Meanwhile 8 out of 10 women whose partners didn't use condoms every time became infected. Latex condoms also help reduce the risk of picking up a slew of other sexually transmitted infections including gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, chancroid, trichomoniasis, HPV, herpes, and pelvic inflammatory disease. Other advantages of condoms are their price and availability.
Scarleteen's Condom's Basics: A User's manual is a helpful article whether you're just beginning to consider becoming sexually active or looking for a refresher and/or tips to improve your condom usage.
Let's face it, there are no good excuses to be unsafe. As Planned Parenthood point out, it's not a matter of trust. “People carry sexually transmitted infections without knowing it.”
