Condoms
If you want to be sexually active, but you don't want to have children, you NEED to use a method of contraception.
The easiest (barrier) method (and without any side effects) is a condom, which is used by the man.
A condom protects against pregnancy and STDs.
Both of the above conditions are true ONLY if you know how to use the condom properly.
A couple can incorporate the condom as a part of foreplay. The woman can stroke the man as he puts on the condom or she can help him. If you want, you can even get banana, strawberry, and other flavors of condoms.
A condom is a good choice not only because of its contraceptive abilities, but also because it can protect you and your partner against STD's. Even if you know and trust your partner, you don't know their previous partners. Just in case you decide to end the relationship, you can be almost certain, that you haven't enriched your microflora with microbes that shouldn't be there. This message is particularly important for women! It is common knowledge that women who frequently practice unprotected sex have a higher change of developing cervical cancer as a result of an STD.
A condom is not harmful to your health, it does not get in the way of sex, and every responsible man should carry one, if he is going on a date. Ideally, he should have more than one. Unfortunately, the reliability with which a condom will work depends upon how much experience the man has with using them. Therefore, the effectiveness in preventing pregnancy is lower in less experienced couples. If you're not sure how to properly put on a condom, you should use additional contraceptive methods as a back up.
Using a condom
Corrent way to put on a condom
The condom is always placed on an erect penis before any contact with the female genitalia. The pre-ejaculate can also contain sperm!
The condom is placed over the tip of the penis and by squeezing the tip of the condom, we can remove any air that is inside. Removing the air prevents the condom from breaking under pressure.
Then roll the condom over the entire length of the penis.
Then roll the condom over the entire length of the penis.
What to do with the condom after sex
After sexual intercourse with ejaculation, you must immediately remove the penis from the vagina and then remove the condom. When the penis becomes flaccid, the condom will no longer create a seal around it, and the sperm could enter the vagina. Only after removing the penis, can you carefully remove the condom.
How to check for leaks
Fill the condom up with water in order to find out whether it doesn't leak. After checking, empty it, wrap it up in toilet paper and throw it away (don't flush it).
Inexperienced couples can practice using a condom without having sexual intercourse. They can manually stimulate the penis without insertion into the vagina, so that the ejaculate is caught into the condom. After the ejaculation, you will be able to see how quickly the erection subsides and how soon after having intercourse with an ejaculation, does the penis need to be removed from the vagina before the condom can be removed. It is also important to mention that the penis is still covered with sperm, even after the condom is removed. So, it shouldn't come into contact with the female genital organs.
Hormonal contraception
Tablets with hormones or oral hormonal contraception
The tablets are used daily, usually for three weeks with a week long break. The hormones are absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract
Hormonal patch
The patch is placed on the skin once a week for three weeks. There is one week during which there is not patch placed. The hormones are absorbed via the skin. This form of contraception is gentler on the GI system than tablets.
placement of the patch on the body
Vaginal ring
The ring is inserted once per cycle for three weeks with a one week break. The hormones are absorbed via the endothelium of the vagina
Vaginal ring and placement in the vagina
IUD: intrauterine device
This is placed one every five years in the uterus and doesn't need to contain hormones
IUD and its placement in the uterus
When using hormonal contraceptives, it is important to take the pills everyday at about the same time. The regularity will ensure maximum effect. You should also read about the side effects of the drug and possible complications. What could they be?
When using hormonal contraception, there can be an increased risk for irregular coagulation of the blood, or clotting in the arteries and veins. So, women who have had a thrombosis in the past, clogged arteries due to a blood clot, or have a blood clotting disorder, shouldn't use these kinds of drugs. Additional contraindications for using hormonal contraceptives are liver disease, serious migraines with an aura, and various cancers that may be sensitive to female sex hormones. Smokers shouldn't use contraceptives either, especially if they are older than 35. Using any method of hormonal contraception should always be consulted with a doctor, specifically your gynecologist who can prescribe these medications for you.
Alternative Methods
Alternative birth control methods include use of female barriers such as the female condom, dam, etc. These methods are quite uncomfortable and not nearly as easy to use as the male condom. There are also various foams, creams, gels, vaginal tablets, etc. which contain spermicide to kill the sperm that enter the vagina. If you choose to use a spermicide, you cannot rinse the vagina for at least 6 hours after use.
Tracking Your Fertile Window
You can try and predict when your fertile window will occur. However, this is a very unreliable method which can be complicated by irregular cycles (common in younger women/girls). You can also ovulate outside of your fertile window! In order to track your fertile days, you need to take daily basal temperature measurements, which is honestly a waste of time.
Coitus Interruptus or Pulling Out
The pulling out method is when the man will remove his penis from the woman's vagina, right before he thinks he will have an orgasm and ejaculation.
Pulling out is a method that is without side effects for girls, but is quite unreliable. In inexperienced couples, unreliability can be up to 50%.
Sperm can also be present in the pre-ejaculate rendering this method even more unreliable. As soon as sperm enter the vagina, they can travel to the mature egg.
About 20% of couples per year get pregnant while using the pulling out method.
In addition to not being the best method of birth control, pulling out can cause problems for men in the future. They may not be able to get an erection or they may not be able to ejaculate.
The Morning After Pill
If you had unprotected sex, you can use something called the “morning after pill”. This pill is available without a prescription in pharmacies. However, don't rely on this all the time. The medication contains a high dose of hormones, much higher than normal birth control.
Summary - how not to get pregnant
A girl can get pregnant, whenever live sperm gets into her vagina. The sperm travels through the uterus into the fallopian tube, where the impregnation of the egg occurs.
A girl can get pregnant after her first time.
Pregnancy can be prevented using contraceptives. The easiest and most effective way is to use a condom.
Not only do condoms protect the girl against pregnancy, it also protects both of the partners against STDs.
Hormone contraceptives are another highly reliable way to protect yourself. The girl either takes a pill every day, has a vaginal ring inserted, uses a hormonal patch, or makes use of an intrauterine device.
Pregnancy can also be prevented after unprotected sex using a morning after pill, which, however, contains a high dose of hormones. It can be purchased in pharmacies.
Tracking of the fertile window isn't considered very reliable, it's usually used along with other contraceptives.
Pulling out isn't very reliable either - sperm can enter the vagina even before the ejaculation.
Rules of safe sex
It is important to choose a partner responsibly.
Make sure your parner is not having sex with anyone else than you.
Have protected sex, using a condom, which is usually good enough. Condoms will protect you against STDs.
Try to avoid having unprotected sex that includes such practices, which may result in bleeding, like anal sex (insertion of the penis into the anus). It's recommended to only have anal sex with a condom. Do not insert the penis into the vagina after having anal sex, so as not to transfer any microbes from the anus.
Don't forget about thorough hygiene, before and after the intercourse.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Kapavka
Caused by: gonococcal bacteria
(Symptoms that should always be consulted with a doctor: inflammation with discharge, itching, burning or the penis/urethra
Gonorrhea is a quite common STD that is accompanied by pus like discharge and sharp pain or burning during urination. However, it can also occur without any symptoms.
Syphilis
Caused by: the bacterium treponema palladium
Other STDs may attack the entire body. Syphilis for example will develop from an ulcer in the location of primary infection and then can cause syphylitic bumps or gummas throughout the body, even in the brain!
Hepatitis B or C
Caused by: hepatitis virus
Yellowish skin and enlarged liver
Hepatitis is usually recognized by a jaundiced complexion. You can be vaccinated against Hepatitis B, but not against type C. After the acute phase of infection, you liver can become cirrhotic and you may develop liver cancer. Hepatitis B and C have a high risk of life long complications like cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer).
AIDS
Caused by: HIV
Initial infection by the HIV virus may seem like a flu. After this, there is a period of time during which an individual shows no symptoms. Following dormancy, an individual will have enlarged lymph nodes and their immune system will begin to fail. At this point, the patient is considered to have AIDS. They will suffer from opportunistic infections, like pneumonia and various cancers that are very dangerous. AIDS is not curable, but can be treated at the HIV stage of infection for a long time.
If you suspect you have or could have an STD, always see a doctor as soon as possible. Sometimes both you and your partner may need to be treated. For example, syphilis is most treatable in the first stage of infection. ALWAYS inform your partner of any STD you may have, as they should get tested too.
Girls who have HPV virus may also be at risk for cervical cancer. The virus can cause other tumors and genital warts, which are unpleasant, both physically and aesthetically. While genital warts' seriousness should not be downplayed, they are even more dangerous if they occur after oral sex in the bronchi in the lungs. Individuals affected by these warts need to have them periodically removed, otherwise they could choke. Unfortunately, the number of genital condylomas, or warts, has been increasing according to gynecologists. You can be vaccinated against HPV, both girls and boys, and they should be vaccinated prior to having sexual intercourse.
Another common STD is genital herpes, with symptoms such as burning and painful blisters on the skin, usually around the vagina. The disease can easily infect the partner if these symptoms are present, and as such, it is important to avoid intercourse.
There are other STDs, such as urethritis or vaginitis, caused by ureaplasma, chlamydia or trichomonas.
“Kissing” Diseases
Disease that are transferred while kissing are diseases that are spread by droplets like strep throat, mono, herpes, Hepatitis A, or meningococcal meningitis (inflammation of the meninges or three layers of tissue that surround the brain).
herpes
