Condoms should always be used for sexual intercourse. They are available free from most clinics or for a small fee at all drugstores. They protect against pregnancy and prevent transmission of STD’s (sexually transmitted diseases) such as HIV/AIDS. There are millions of people living with HIV right now, and a lot of them don’t know it which means they won’t be too bothered about protecting themselves or YOU! You could easily catch HIV if you slept with somebody who had been sleeping around. Along with other nasty things which you could catch off them. EWWWW!!!!!
It ISN’T uncool for her to whip out the condom. Offer to put it on for him and then we’ll see who is turning down the use of condoms! You can buy different kinds of condoms; thin ones, thick ones, ribbed ones, big ones, small ones, etc. I recommend Durex & Trojan as two brands of condoms that can be trusted.
You must also remember that condoms provide around 80%-90% protection. This average is affected by idiots who use them incorrectly which means there ARE breakages but it isn’t difficult to put on if you follow the instructions provided in the package!!!
If you miss out on using the condom (smack your hand), you can visit your local family planning clinic (listed in the yellow pages – www.yell.com – for UK users and www.plannedparenthood.org for american users). They will be able to prescribe you the morning after pill. This is a set of pills that need to be taken according to their instructions. These pills will make you feel queasy and might give you some light spotting. This should be taken within 24 hours if possible, otherwise within 72 hours. It will not be given to you after the 72 hour deadline.
If you miss the 72 hour deadline for the morning after pill, there is also the IUS. This is a metallic coil which is inserted into your uterus up to 5 days after unprotected sex and prevents blood from gathering on the wall of your uterus and thus any nicely fertilised eggs are prevented from laying themselves there for hatching!
OK now if you’re really daft and you’ve missed the 5 day deadline for the IUS AS WELL, then you need to sit back and wait for your period to come. If your period is over a week late, then you need to get a PREGNANCY TEST done asap. They are available for a small fee through your doctor or family planning clinic if you want one done through a professional. Or you can buy home testing kits from drug stores for around $5 – $30. THIS IS THE ONLY SUREFIRE WAY OF KNOWING IF YOU ARE PREGNANT OR NOT!
If you get a positive result from a home testing kit, I recommend you make a doctors appointment to get this confirmed through the professional method of pregnancy testing. Home pregnancy testing kits are 99.9% effective if taken at the proper time.
If you are thinking about going on backup contraception as well as using condoms (aren’t you just so clever and well prepared?) then I recommend against teenagers going on the pill. No matter WHAT you say, you’ll miss doses and you’ll take them at the wrong time and most likely lose your pills on top of that. Unless you are TOTALLY organised, don’t do it. It isn’t worth the hassle! The pill is also only around 30% effective for teenagers as you are all so highly fertile!
Alongside this, I shall answer some frequently asked questions..
Q: Here it goes.. me and my boyfriend were fooling around. I gave him a blowjob/handjob and he might have touched himself. Then he fingered me/went down on me and I don’t know if there could have been some sperm transferred?
A: Fact of the matter is, sperm doesn’t live long once it has been spurted. It is highly unlikely you are going to get pregnant from this but always make sure he washes himself thoroughly before doing anything to you in the future. Diseases can be passed through sperm, so I hope you are using flavoured condoms and dental dams if you are unsure of each others sexual past. These are available cheaply from your local clinic or drugstore.
If you miss your period by more than a week, I recommend you get a pregnancy test done either through your doctor, family planning clinic or home testing kit to confirm whether or not you are pregnant.
Q: How long does sperm live outside of the body?
A: Not very long at all. Inside the body though, it can live up to 5 days.
And remember, if you think you are pregnant: GET A TEST DONE!!!
Written December 17th 2002.