by Harley Chapman
At this age, hormones and sexual activities are at all time high… But so are STI’s.
The main fear at this age is pregnancy, not the various infectious sexual diseases passed around by unprotected sex.
“I’ll pull out”
“I don’t like wearing condoms”
“I don’t have a condom on me”
“I’ll take the morning after pill”
“I don’t like the feeling”
“I’m allergic”
There are many excuses used to not use a condom, sometimes it’s general stupidity and most of the time it’s down to being drunk or under the influence of drugs. And it’s not just men, it’s girls as well. If you have a safe, clean, sexual partner and you’re using other contraceptive methods, sex without a condom is safe. However, if you or your sexual partner have slept around and you are unsure of what you or they may have, sex with a condom is important. Chlamydia has become the most commonly diagnosed STI in the UK. 65% of all chlamydia cases are made up from 16-24 year olds.
You may think not using a condom will be okay and you won’t get pregnant but it 100% does not stop you from getting sexually transmitted diseases. If you sleep with someone who has an STI, you will get it. No doubt about it.
Another thing people may not know is that you can get STIs from performing oral sex so it would be wise to wear a condom during that.
Although chlamydia doesn’t have many symptoms and you can get rid of it using a dose of 4 antibiotics in one, chlamydia can cause infertility in women.
At this age, most people who have sex are in a relationship but there are times when people sleep with someone they don’t know if they’re clean or not. And sleep with them without a condom. If this happens then you should get a test as soon as possible. Near us there are two major GUM clinics which screen for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS. You can get a chlamydia test for free and confidentially at almost every pharmacy.
To prevent all of this, have safe sex. Don’t be silly, wrap your willy.
