Safer Sex

Did you know that ‘safe’ sex doesn’t exist? All sex comes with a risk of pregnancy or contracting an STI. Trust me, I’m militant about safety and I still got an STI last year. Unless you are in a committed monogamous relationship, you have both tested negative for STIs and birth control is being used effectively, you are at risk. 

There are things we can do to have ‘safer’ sex though. The ways you can best prevent pregnancy or getting an STI are to:

• Have the conversation about safer sex with a new partner before things heat up
• Always wear a condom with a new partner (bring your own, don’t assume they will have them)
• Refrain from oral sex or use dental dams (unless you are sure your partner has tested negative for STIs)
• Get tested for STIs regularly (every 1-3 months or between new partners)

Sadly, some people don’t take safety seriously and they may try and pressure you into having unsafe sex. These are the kind of statements people will use to try and convince you it’s ok not to use condoms:

• It doesn’t feel as good with condoms
• Let’s just use the pull out method
• My ex was tested and didn’t have anything, so I’m ok
• Don’t worry, I’m on the pill
• I don’t have any STI symptoms 

Each of us are responsible for our own sexual health and you have every right to insist on STI testing and condom use with partners. If a potential new sex partner says any of these things in response to the topic of protection, it’s a huge red flag. They clearly don’t care about their own sexual health (or yours) and don’t respect your boundaries. Definitely not the foundation for a fun and healthy sexual experience. Bin them immediately!

I personally find it really hot when someone raises the topic of safer sex. It shows they care about themselves and their partners and want to have fun in the safest way. Some easy ways you can be proactive about safety are:

• Try different condoms and find ones you like (SKYN are my favourites)
• Get a free at home STI kit (Google ones for your area)
• Check out SH:24 for all the information you could possibly need about having safer sex

Now go forth and have safer sexy fun!