S-E-X: it’s that three-letter word that can be fun to do and can feel great. But there’s another three-letter word that people sometimes forget about when they want to have sex: K-I-D. That’s right, baby! For heterosexual couples, pregnancy is possible if they don’t use effective birth control every time they have vaginal intercourse and certain other kinds of sex play. What is effective birth control? Birth control is effective when it keeps sperm from joining an egg and causing a pregnancy.
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We all love to have options — and now, there are two new methods of birth control to add to the mix! The ring (NuvaRing) and the patch (Ortho Evra) are both combined hormone contraceptives — which means they use hormones similar to the estrogen and progesterone made by a woman’s ovaries to prevent pregnancy. And, like the pill, they are up to 99.7 percent effective against pregnancy!
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It may seem like teen guys have it easy when it comes to sexual and reproductive health — no periods, no chance of getting pregnant, no gynecological exams. So it’s no surprise when most people — guys and girls — think men’s sexual health is only about whether to buy cherry-flavored, non-lubricated condoms or ribbed-for-her-pleasure condoms.
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Maybe you’re waiting for the right person to have sex with; maybe you’re just not ready to do the deed yet. Or maybe you’re currently sexually active but thinking about trying out abstinence. Whatever the reasons are, you’re not the only one. Many men and women abstain from sex play at different times in their lives. Some choose to abstain all their lives.
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Many of you may be feeling anxious about some of the decisions that you face about having sex — including avoiding sexually transmitted infection and unintended pregnancy. Believe it or not, some of your parents are feeling just as anxious about the decisions you will make about sex! Some of them may be so anxious that they haven’t tried to talk with you about it.
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There’s a lot of talk about safer sex, but what does this mean for guys who have sex with guys? Unfortunately, it can be hard to find information that addresses men who have sex with men because most sex education is geared towards guys who are sexually involved with girls. And there may be mistaken assumptions about what sex between guys involves. Many people know that certain sexual behaviors are “risky,” but they don’t know how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections. Here are a few key things to know.
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If you and your girl are going to have sex, you need to think about protection. Fortunately, you’ve got a whole bunch of different kinds to choose from. You may have done the ribbed vs. smooth or clear vs. colored thing, but birth control goes way beyond condom varieties.
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