Talking About Sex With a New Partner
In today’s dating world it is not unusual for men and women to have multiple partners, especially in casual dating. Sex, sex, sex. It’s everywhere from TV to magazines, and music. You think it would be easy to talk to your partner about sex when it is all around you, right? Usually that is not the case. Most couples avoid talking about sex before it happens. If you are having sex than you should be mature enough to talk to your partner first. With the growing rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the HIV virus among young people it is is now more important than ever to talk about sex.
So when is the right time to bring up sex? There is no answer because it’s a different situation for everyone. The best time to talk about sex is before it happens. Talk with your partner about STDs and HIV. Get tested and make sure your partner gets tested. It is now popular to get STD and HIV testing with your partner. There are many facilities today that can accommodate these requests. Many times HIV and STD testing can be obtained free of charge. Popular myth has many people believing that condoms are the answer to everything, but they are far from an answer.
Condoms these days are over 99 percent effective in protecting you from disease and pregnancy. Although rare, problems can arise when using condoms only. Sexually transmitted diseases are spread in many ways other than through vaginal penetration. When performing oral sex, whether you are male or female, it is possible to spread genital warts and other transmittable diseases. If you are unsure of your partners sexual history or presence of STDs than your mouth should not come in contact with their private parts. Cuts inside the mouth are especially susceptible to STDs transmitted through bodily fluids when performing oral sex.
If you and your partner practice safe sex with condoms it is still possible to contract STDs. Infected skin around private parts like the scrotum and anus can infect unprotected skin on your partner. Condoms only cover the head and shaft of the penis and do not protect you from infected skin around the private parts. The only way to be truly safe is to practice abstinence, if this is not your dish then get tested, and make sure your partner gets tested.
If you are in a monogamous relationship you should keep getting tested each year. Just because you are exclusive with someone doesn’t mean you can’t get an STD or HIV. It is proven that people cheat so never trust anyone. Get tested at least once a year for everything.
Whether you are dating or exclusive with someone it is also important to talk about the possibility of pregnancy. Birth control and condoms are both over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, but it can still happen. If you are on birth control it is important that you take you pills each day at the same time. When you mess up your pills you are more likely to become pregnant while on the pill. There are other choices now for birth control like the patch and the ring that are much easier to use than birth control pills. Using condoms will also help reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies.
Whether you are planning a family or not, if you are sleeping with someone you need to talk about pregnancy. Have a back up plan in case it does happen. Don’t foolishly think that it can’t happen to you because it can. If you are not ready to accept the responsibilities that sex brings than don’t do it. Make sure that you always practice safe sex with condoms, and get tested.
