Safe sex
Making love is only possible when both are ready. That is why it is important to talk about it together. After all, forced sex always leaves a bitter feeling.
Here you will find information about:
Go to the doctor yourself or with your partner or make an appointment with the gynecologist to have the most suitable contraceptive prescribed. Doctors know that sex is not an easy topic to discuss for many of their patients and are also bound by professional secrecy.
Contraceptives
All contraceptives discussed help prevent pregnancy .
But only the condom also protects against infection with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). At least most of them. Because some STDs can be transmitted through blisters or wounds outside the vagina (e.g. in the mouth).
Natural methods
All natural methods of contraception such as the calendar method, temperature method, Billings method and Natural Family Planning are aimed at not having sexual intercourse on fertile days .
It is therefore important that you learn to recognize those days in the cycle . In principle, there are six days per cycle on which one can become pregnant: the day of ovulation and the five days before. At the time of ovulation, important changes occur, for example in body temperature, in the hormone pattern and in the permeability of the cervical mucus. To learn to apply these methods reliably, some organizations organize courses.
Although a combination of natural methods is quite reliable, it is not recommended for young people. After all, natural contraception requires sufficient familiarity with the body, experience and discipline.
Sterilization
Sterilization is the most drastic form of contraception.
During sterilization, the channels through which sperm cells pass in a man and egg cells in a woman are interrupted . In a woman, menstruation continues as normal and a man can continue to ejaculate, but the semen no longer contains sperm cells. Sterilization does not affect erection or desire for sex.
Sterilization is a permanent procedure and is difficult to reverse .
It is only applied to couples who no longer want or can have children . Even though it is an effective protection against pregnancy, it does not prevent venereal diseases.
Emergency pill
Anyone who had sex without contraception or used their contraceptive incorrectly can reduce the risk of pregnancy by taking the emergency pill . Even those who are not sure about the contraceptive they are using can take the emergency pill.
This pill is not a standard contraceptive. But as the name suggests, it is only for emergencies .
Just like the regular pill, the emergency pill contains artificial hormone . This causes ovulation to stop or be postponed and prevents an egg from being fertilized or implanting in the uterus. The emergency pill does not cause an abortion .
Two kinds
- With the classic emergency pill you have 72 hours (three days) .
- The sooner you take the emergency pill after sexual contact, the greater the chance that you can prevent a pregnancy. The emergency pill only protects if something has gone wrong in the past 72 hours, so not for the period that follows until the next menstruation. If you have new sexual contact during this period, contraception is necessary.
- The classic emergency pill is freely available in pharmacies. No doctor's prescription is required. The emergency pill is even free for people under the age of 21 . The pharmacist will recommend that you make an appointment with your GP to discuss a contraceptive method for the future.
- Relying on the emergency pill again and again is not a good idea since a contraceptive is more reliable as protection against pregnancy.
- The other emergency pill is only available with a doctor's prescription . It can be taken up to five days after having sex, so it gives you a little more time.
Still pregnant
If you do find yourself pregnant, you can talk about it with people you trust from your environment or with professional care providers such as the Youth Advice Center (JAC) or Pharafoon. You can contact them, simply to express your initial emotions, or to request further information or addresses for assistance. Specialized centers help you make a decision: whether to carry the pregnancy to term or terminate it.
The Faraphone can be reached on 016 38 69 50. At certain times you can also chat via www.faranet.be .
You can find the address of the JAC in your area at www.jac.be.
Prevent sexually transmitted diseases
You can prevent a sexually transmitted infection (STD) by using condoms and vaccination . With a (regular) STD test you avoid unknowingly spreading an STD further.
Do you want to leave out the condom? Then have both of you tested for STDs.
Also consider another form of contraception if you do not wish to become pregnant .
Take your precautions
Make sure you always have a condom at hand, even when you go out or travel.
To practice safe sex, you must avoid direct contact between bodily fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, blood, pus, etc.) and the mucous membranes of the vagina, penis, anus and mouth of yourself and your partner. Therefore use:
- a condom for vaginal sex ;
- a condom and water- or silicone-based lubricant for anal sex (the lubricant prevents difficult penetration, resulting in injuries to the mucous membranes and damage to the condom);
- a condom or dental dam (or cut open condom) for oral sex .
A condom and dental dam protect you against chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and hepatitis B.
They also partially protect you against genital herpes, syphilis and genital warts. Because the lesions in these sexually transmitted infections (STDs) are not always completely covered by a condom, it does not provide sufficient protection. If you have one of these STDs, it is best to wait until the lesions have completely healed before having sex again.
Don't share sex toys
- Certain STDs (e.g. genital warts) are also transmitted by sharing sex toys.
- If you do this, make sure they are properly washed and disinfected and put a new condom on each time before switching partners.
Get tested
- Do you have a steady relationship, no other unprotected sexual contacts and do you want to have sex without a condom? Then have both tested first. This is the only way to be sure that you will not pass on STDs to each other. After all, it is quite possible that you have an STD without knowing it, because sometimes they cause no or only vague symptoms.
Get vaccinated
- There is a vaccine against hepatitis B and the human papilloma virus , which can cause cervical cancer and genital warts, among other things.
- Hepatitis B occurs more often in people who have frequent sexual contacts, especially in homosexuals who have not previously been vaccinated. Vaccination is strongly recommended for them.
- After vaccination you are still not protected against other STDs . It is therefore best to always use a condom and dental dam when having sex.
Inform your (former) partner
- If you have an STD or were at risk of an STD, it is important that you tell your new partner. Then you can take the right measures. In addition, get tested if you are not sure and get treatment if necessary.
- Notify your former bed partners if you discover that you have an STD. This way they can also be tested and treated if necessary.
- By speaking to your sex partners about an STD, you not only take care of your own health , but also that of others. This way you prevent a ping-pong effect, where an infection occurs alternately in one and the other.
Talking about sex
Talking about safe sex and contraceptives before sex helps prevent serious possible consequences such as unwanted pregnancy and infection with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Talking to your partner, parents or child about sex is not easy for many. Timidity and fear are the biggest barriers.
However, it is important to broach the theme. It can make young people more resilient, give partners a better sex life and prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
