Despite most of us receiving a fair share of sex education at school, that means proper cleanliness too many individuals still think of safe sex as a way to prevent getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant. And while safe sex can effectively prevent unplanned pregnancies, it more importantly also lowers the risk of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
Individuals who use intrauterine contraceptives might think they’re protected; however, these devices cannot prevent STIs.
Of course, staying safe is a lot easier when you have a partner that you can trust, but it’s a little more complicated when you’re having casual sex, especially with someone you’ve recently met. You can never predict running into a person that you’re attracted to, and it may compel some individuals to venture with unprotected sex while keeping their fingers crossed. But unfortunately, “pulling out” is not safe enough.
Here is our guide to having protected casual sex.
Get vaccinated
There are now vaccinations for the most common STI, which is HPV. Although HPV is quite common and most strains of the virus are considered harmless, it can lead to more serious complications if left untreated, including cervical cancer.
According to, https://www.medicinedirect.co.uk/blog/post/how-to-spot-the-signs-of-an-std.html, it can be very difficult to know whether you have one as most STDs does not have any noteworthy symptoms at all. It’s never a bad idea to get yourself checked if you ever engage in unprotected sex. But, getting vaccinated is always better. Especially if you’re not sexually active yet, it’s best to get the vaccine before you sexually engage with someone.
Talk to them
With a partner, it would be easy to sit down and have a serious conversation about your sexual history and drug use, but when you run into someone attractive at the bar, it’s not quite as simple.
While the thrill of having intercourse immediately after meeting someone may make your experience more exciting, it’s never safe, even if you use condoms, which cannot effectively protect you from catching more serious STIs such as HIV. It’s always safest to get to know the person for a couple of days beforehand, and ask them when the last time they got tested was.
Don’t be embarrassed to request seeing test results, and offer to do the same in return.
Use male condoms
You need to use condoms every time you have casual sex with someone, even if you’re both tested and neither of you has STIs. You can never be sure whom that person had been with since the last time they have met you.
That said, the most effective kinds of condoms are latex; avoid using female condoms, which are made of polyurethane and are much less protective. Latex condoms are also the most effective way of preventing unplanned pregnancies, as well.
