Sex is fun. It's in the moment. It's a gratifying experience with little consequence... that you can see right now anyway. But with every seemingly good thing can come unintended results, and those can sometimes be more than you bargained for - like an STD.

Take a moment to ask yourself these 3 questions:

1.     What are my life goals?

2.     What are some ways my sexual behavior is helping me reach those goals?

3.     What are some ways my sexual behavior is hindering me from reaching those goals?

Minimize your risk: according to the Center for Disease Control, “A reliable way to avoid transmission of STDs is to abstain from oral, vaginal, and anal sex or to be in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner.”

Although condoms may help to reduce the risk of contracting STD’s in general, the fact is that they cannot protect you from specific types of infections.  For example, in the case of genital ulcer diseases (such as herpes and syphilis) and HPV (human papillomavirus), “latex condoms can only protect against transmission when the ulcers or infections are in genital areas that are covered or protected by the condom.”¹  Contagions are often present in the area surrounding the condom, even when visible signs of infection are not present.  In these cases, condoms are useless against the transmission of the disease.

It should also be noted that non-latex condoms do not protect against STD’s at all.  Trojan labeling states that, “natural membrane condoms only help to protect against pregnancy and are not recommended for the prevention of STDs.”  For those who are thinking about using polyurethane condoms, studies are still “being done to determine the risks of pregnancy and STDs, including HIV infection (AIDS)”.²

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, many of the available studies intended to prove the efficacy of any kind of condom are simply “not designed or conducted in ways that allow for accurate measurement of condom effectiveness”.³  Simply put, the accuracy of what has been published cannot be measured against your individual circumstances and personal risk.

Total abstinence is the only 100% guaranteed method of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

Despite the advocacy of condom use to reduce your risk of acquiring an STD, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states, “there's no absolute guarantee even when you use a condom”.  Even the CDC does not embrace the term safe sex, calling it “less risky” sex instead.1

What they also fail to mention is what “risky” really means.  As determined by the National Institutes of Health, “overall, the condom's effectiveness at preventing HIV transmission is estimated to be 87%, but it may vary between 60% and 96%”.2  These numbers don't even factor in the element of exposure over time.

In an International Planned Parenthood Federation Medical Bulletin, the author, Willard Cates, states that, “the risk of contracting AIDS during so-called ‘protected sex’ approaches 100 percent as the number of episodes of sexual intercourse increases.”  According to the graph submitted by Cates below, you will inevitably, eventually contract HIV/AIDS, even with perfect condom use.

Risk of contracting HIV) vs. Exposure (the number of sexual encounters). Note how the right side of the ellipse (“protected sex”)
rises to meet the left (“unprotected sex”) at a point which represents 100% risk.3

HIV is one of over 25 sexually transmitted infections that can have a serious impact on your future reproductive and overall health, especially if left untreated.  Pregnant women are particularly at risk.  The only way to avoid contracting a potentially deadly infection is to abstain from sexual activities.

Find out more about common STD’s and their related conditions here.

Concerned about your sexual or reproductive health? Schedule your free consultation.