The practice of safe sex and sexual health is something the majority of us were taught about during our time at secondary school; remember that really uncomfortable lesson where a teacher pulls out a condom and is met by a bunch of nervous and awkward teenagers sniggering.
But all sniggering aside, understanding your sexual health such an important topic and something that is not discussed enough, especially within schools and colleges, which for many is where their journey of sexual discovery began.
For many, the first form of contraception introduced to them will be the condom. But often, we are only taught about the latex condom. There are actually a number of different types of condoms many of which you may not have even heard of.
There are non-latex condoms, which are incredibly important since many people suffer with latex allergies. There is the female condom (known as the femidom), flavoured condoms which are prominently used for oral sex and condoms that increase comfort and sensitivity like thin condoms, ribbed condoms and also condoms with extra lube.
With condoms, it is important that they are the correct size. Too big and there is an increased chance of it falling off during sexual activity. Too small and there is a higher chance of splitting.
For people practicing safe sex, condoms are the only contraceptive method that stop the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and are extremely important in the world of sexual health.
It is also important to think about the spread of sexual transmitted diseases through oral sex, in which case a flavoured condom might be more desirable. If performing oral sex on a woman, a dental dam is recommended which acts as a barrier to prevent the infections from passing from one person to another.
Other ways to reduce the chance of transmitting STI’s would be avoiding oral sex if either you or your partner have cuts or sores around the mouth or genital area and making sure you are washing your hands before and after sex. Also, if you and your partner are using sex toys, make sure they are washed between uses.
Furthermore, an emphasis has to be placed on having regular STI testing. Healthcare professionals recommend getting tested at least once a year, and for those who have multiple partners to be tested more frequently, preferably every time you change partners.
But what is important is that talking about sexual health, as well as pregnancy prevention, is becoming more mainstream and does not feel like such a taboo topic anymore. Looking after our health, as well as our sexual partners, is such an important thing to do, and it needs to be taken more seriously. De-stigmatisation of the testing process is such an important step that needs to be taken.
As always, if anyone is noticing a change within their body – whether it be discharge, discomfort or pain during sex, or anything that feels abnormal, make sure you speak to your doctor's surgery or sexual health clinic.
Here are some helpful resources you can access for professional information:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sexual-health/sex-activities-and-risk/
Edited by Olivia Warburton