Sexual Health (1) – When you are sexually active, pregnancy is usually the greatest concern. You may be afraid of what your parents or boyfriend will do if you become pregnant.
You may also be concerned that you will not be able to finish school or pursue your career.
While pregnancy is something to be very concerned about, sexually transmitted infections are equally, if not more, worrisome.
You are at risk for pregnancy if you have sex around ovulation (about 3 days a month), but you are at risk for getting an STI every time you have sex.
Sex and Dating
There are many pros and cons to dating, and it all depends on how you approach your relationships.
If you feel that you are not ready or interested in having a committed relationship, you may want to postpone dating until you feel that you are ready. There is no rush to start dating.
The decision to have sex is a very important one, and there are lots of things to think about.
Sexual relationships affect your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Whether you are considering sexual activity, or you have already had sex, there are risks for pregnancy and STIs even when using birth control or condoms.
The only sure way to avoid getting an STI or to prevent pregnancy is to practice abstinence.
Once you are in a long-term, mutually monogamous and committed relationship with an uninfected partner (in marriage), you will have no reason to worry about getting an STI.
Do you want to talk with someone about your relationship? We are here for you. Please feel free to contact us.
The Basics
There are now more than a dozen STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections), several of which are chronic, life-long infections.
In the United States, it is estimated that there are 19 million new infections each year – over half of these occurring in young people ages 15-24.
Presently, over 70 million people in the U.S. are infected or have been infected with an STI or STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease).
STIs & STDs: What are they?
An STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) is an infection that does not show any physical signs or symptoms.
It is contracted from another infected person through sexual activity. It becomes an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) when symptoms appear.
It’s important to remember that not all infected people will have signs or symptoms. The problem is that some of these STDs can cause a lot of damage and can be passed to your partner without your knowledge.
You do not have to have symptoms to be contagious; you can spread the disease at any time.
STDs & STIs: Prevention
Did you know that some STIs can be spread through all forms of sex and/or intimate skin-to-skin contact (oral sex, outercourse, anal sex, mutual masturbation)?
Condoms are not as effective as most think at preventing the spread of STIs.
Using a condom during sex can sometimes reduce the risk for transmitting or contracting certain STIs, but using a condom never eliminates the risk entirely.
Consistent condom use 100% of the time during vaginal sex reduces your risk for:
- HIV by 85% iii
- Gonorrhea by about 50% iv
- Chlamydia by about 50% v
- Herpes by about 50% vi
- Syphilis by about 50% vii
- HPV by 50% or less viii
Few studies have been done to see whether condoms reduce the risk of STIs, including HIV, during oral sex or anal sex ix.
Abstaining from sexual activity is the only 100% guarantee you have to avoid pregnancy and to avoid contracting an STI.
If you feel that you are not ready to have sex, or if you do not want to put yourself at risk for pregnancy or an STI, then abstinence is your best choice.