Protection
Do you use it?
How good are you at really practicing safe sex? Do you use condoms and dental dams for oral sex? How long do you take in a relationship before you let the barriers down? Have you ever been tested for STDs? Have you ever had unprotected sex with someone before you really knew them? before you'd discussed their history and health?
StillFiguringItOut248 days ago
Answer 1 of 5
I'm amused that being in a relatively la...
I'm amused that being in a relatively large city, it is practically impossible to find dental dams or gloves, one sex store worker didn't know what a dental dam was, and the store that had a few of them charged an outrageous price for them.
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scarlettewiththerope269 days ago
Answer 2 of 5
I've used a condom for penetrative sex w...
I've used a condom for penetrative sex with every partner I've ever been with since my first time as a teenager, and always get tested after sleeping with someone new. I've never used a condom for oral sex, but I'm very choosy about who I engage in any sexual acts with, so I feel relatively safe about this. If I had sex with more men I'd probably use a condom for oral too.
My personal criteria for sleeping with someone is trusting them to the degree that I can believe them when they tell me that they've been tested recently and are clean. I also always ask about their sexual history, and if I find out that they've engaged in unprotected sex since the last time they were tested I ask them to get tested before we do anything. The only times I engage in unprotected sex are when I've been in an exclusive relationship with someone for at least a few months and I'm on birth control. I believe in trusting someone a lot before I trust them with my health! I hate to say it like this, but having sex is like playing Russian roulette, so you have to do what you can to give yourself the best odds.
I think I'm so aware of the issues involved in sexual health because my mother worked in a gay bar during the initial AIDs scare, so I was raised with the dangers inherent in STDs from an early age. My mother was also always very open with me about sex; I never got the stork story lol, when I was a child and asked where babies came from my mother sat me down with a medical book and explained things in a very matter of fact way.
Honestly, I wish everyone was AT LEAST as cautious as I am, because we all have a responsibility to each other not to spread disease. I'm cautious not only for my health, but for the health of the people I choose to sleep with!
Just in case some people don't realize how relevant this issue is to the life of every sexually active individual, here are some less than fun facts:
-More than half of all people will have an STD/STI at some point in their lifetime.
-The estimated total number of people living in the US with a viral STD/STI is over 65 million. Every year, there are at least 19 million new cases of STDs/STIs, some of which are curable.
-Less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STD/STI other than HIV/AIDS.
-Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and HPV are the only vaccine-preventable STDs/STIs. (Not all HPV types are covered by the vaccine, so women who receive it still need Pap tests.) [as a matter of fact, the HPV vaccine only guards against 4 types of HPV out of over 100!]
-It is estimated that as many as one in five Americans have genital herpes, a lifelong (but manageable) infection, yet up to 90 percent of those with herpes are unaware they have it.
-Over 6 million people acquire HPV each year, and by age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms. Some researchers believe that HPV infections may self-resolve and may not be lifelong like herpes.
-One in five people in the United States has an STD
-At least one in four Americans will contract an STD at some point in their lives.
-At least 15 percent of all infertile American women are infertile because of tubal damage caused by pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), the result of an untreated STD.
-There is no way to test for HPV in men, so there is no way to know if a man has it or not if he's showing no outward symptoms (ex, genital warts) (it's also important to remember that most types of HPV are relatively harmless, clear up on their own, and will be contracted by the vast majority of sexually active people at some point in their lives)
websites I got this info from:
http://www.ashastd.org/learn/learn_statistics.cfm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/13924-std-information/
http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv-and-men.htm
sexpert280 days ago
Answer 3 of 5
I use condoms, but more as a secondary m...
I use condoms, but more as a secondary method of birth control rather than for STIs. I didn't use to use condoms when I was younger, and I just had too many scares. I also got really lucky a couple times when I realized what the sex history of the person that I was with was. Since I've smartened up (late teens), I use condoms all the time, even though I'm currently in a monogamous relationship for over a year and we live together. It's just nice not to have to worry about accidents. Plus, the clean up is easier. I love condoms. They come in different colours, and shapes, and ribbed, and studded, and they're so cool! I also use them if I use a toy, for easier clean up.
I have never used a condom or dental dam for oral sex though, but it's also been awhile since I've been with a girl. In terms of oral sex, I do demand from my partner that they not have any cold sores or cankers, since these can be caused by the herpes virus and you CAN give someone genital herpes if there is contact between your oral herpes and their genitals. In the future, I would love to try a dental dam on a girl, just so see what it's like. Who knows, maybe I'll prefer it, the way I prefer condoms.
I get tested every time I have a new partner (and I make my partner get tested) but some things you can't test for, like herpes. They can test for antibodies, but that also means if you've ever had oral herpes (herpes simplex) or herpes of the eye, then you will test positive. You need to have an open sore on your genitals, and then they test that in order to find out if it's genital herpes or not, and many people with herpes don't have symptoms, or have them infrequently. In short, I'm very picky about my partners, even casual ones, and I want to keep my body healthy. If in doubt, I'll masturbate and think of what could have been. lol.
COLTOR281 days ago
Answer 4 of 5
I've decided that if I want to have a ki...
I've decided that if I want to have a kid that there are enough out there already that I don't need it to look like me. I support adoption. That being said, I've decided to not get a vasectomy until I've been on my own insurance policy for a year. (Never know if your opinion's gonna change) I always use a condom. My girlfriend is on the pill and as much as we're both itching to have sex without condoms, I know that if I have sex without one, having sex with one on after then won't feel nearly as good. Therefore, I'm always gonna wear a condom until I get a vasectomy. (That is, to prevent pregnancy. We're in a monogamous relationship where we both started as virgins, so we're not worried about STDs or dental dams) I do own a dental dam, but I doubt I'll use it before it expires. A note to the thrifty: Saran wrap has been FDA tested to be an effective barrier for oral sex. Just throw some spit or lube on the partner side and you're good to go. I have been tested for STDs twice, but both were requirements for things and I hadn't even had sex before I was tested. And I guess my answer to the last bit is that I've never had unprotected sex ever.
TheFictionILive328 days ago
Answer 5 of 5
I have never used a dental damn (don't e...
I have never used a dental damn (don't even think I've ever seen one). I haven't used a condom in two years or so, and in that time I've been with 20-25 different people. I used them at the start of my last relationship, but we went through 3 boxes in under a week and said fuck it after that. In my current relationship we have never used them. I don't enjoy sex with them on, which lots of guys say, but it's to the point where I just won't have sex if I have to wear one. It doesn't feel as good for either, and if sex doesn't feel good, whats the point? But, comes down to personal preference. I've been tested a couple times, used to try for ever six months, but it usually ends up being more like once a year. As far as discussing history and health, it usually comes up at some point. My view is if someone has something it's their responsibility to either not have sex or to bring it up. I know that's not how things work all the time, but I would, and I'd like to think I wouldn't be having sex with the type of person who wouldn't do that. Should you do all the stuff you mentioned? Yeah probably. But, I know I've had a hell of alot of fun doing it the way I have. I also know I've been lucky.
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