Features writer Joshua Resoun examines the countless contraceptive possibilities.
It is 2am. The LCR is the place to be. Another quality tune rings out across the dance floor, you pound another drink, and by this point your beer goggles (or in the case of the LCR, the double vodka Red Bull goggles) have fully kicked in, you look across the room and see a cute girl or guy staring back at you. Gathering up your Dutch courage you swagger over, smiling all the way. You take them in an intimate embrace, and before you know it, the sun is shining outside and your head is throbbing. As dawn becomes noon, your hazy mind clears and you come to a sudden realisation ... during your passionate, alcohol-fuelled night you forgot to use protection. Oh shit.
The aforementioned situation is one that nobody wishes to find themselves in, frantically worrying about whether or not you have just caught a sexually transmitted infection (STI), or worse, are about to become a parent. In this day and age, with a number of technological and medicinal advances, in conjuncture with widespread sexual education, there is no excuse for not practising safe sex. If your knowledge is limited to the pill and the condom, do not fear, Concrete is here to educate you.
To begin with, there is a historical solution which has been practised throughout human history: abstinence. Not having sex before marriage may seem alien for today’s youth, but there are plenty of non-penetrative sexual acts to keep you busy. These include dry humping, mutual masturbation, rubbing, stroking, or just a really intimate make-out session, whatever gets your motor running. Non-penetrative sex also includes giving and receiving oral sex (the classic third base which all teenage boys & girls aspire to), however, although the risk of pregnancy is reduced, you can still catch an STI.
If health and safety is your thing, you can always employ a plastic wrap, more commonly known as a dental dam; this is essentially a sheet of latex which is laid over the woman’s vulva and anus, once done, carry on as normal (while trying to ignore the rubbery taste in your mouth). Another way to protect against the spread of infection during oral sex is to wear latex gloves (and no, a dish washing glove does not count), although this is not the most romantic of gestures, it does ensure there is no risk of catching something during the giving and receiving of oral sex.
If non-penetrative sex isn’t your thing, there are a few tips to ensure that full blown intercourse is as safe as it can be. If you’re after birth control in addition to STI protection, the traditional condom and femidom are the most widely used methods of protecting yourself during sex. For strictly birth control, the contraceptive pill is the most well-known, and well-tested of the female birth control tools out there. Just remember to take this on a daily basis. The pill is available from your local GP.
However, it can make some girls more emotional than usual, or alter their periods. If this is the case, you simply return to the doctor and swap it out.
Most people forget that by being open about your sexual past and trusting your sexual partners, and by carrying out regular sexual check-ups you can avoid a lot of the risk associated with STIs. As with everything else in life, the earlier it is noticed, the easier it is to treat.
Sex is enjoyable, acts as a great stress relief and can bring you and your partner closer on an emotional and physical level. Having to deal with an unwanted pregnancy or STI is not worth neglecting the fifteen seconds it takes to put a condom on.