College comes with a few caveats and benefits as a young adult. One such caveat for most students is being forced to face the world with little hand holding from guardians or family. However, the flip side to this coin is finally expressing the freedoms you never got to in high school. Exploring said freedoms can be fun, but also dangerous. Sex is one of those freedoms and there are plenty of issues to be wary about. Here are a few tips to help safely practice sex with partners.
Use condoms. Nobody likes STIs. They are nasty, harmful, and a big turn off to others. A good way to keep these nasty things away is by wearing condoms. Pharmacies and certain grocery stores carry differing amounts of male condoms, and most are safe to use. While they are not as common, female condoms exist too. However, some condoms do not protect against all STIs and some are made of latex, which can be an issue due to certain people having latex allergies. Ultimately, reading the descriptions on the packages will be the best way to figure out what works best for the user and their partner.
Use hormonal birth control. Barrier methods like condoms are effective, but hormonal methods are practical as well. “The pill,” also known as oral contraceptives, is the most common form of hormonal birth control. There are services online that can provide pills, though the best technique for acquiring the pill is through a gynecologist. There are also patches and an IUD (intrauterine device) which both can be acquired through a gynecologist as well.
Test for STIs often. Despite using protection and asking partners if they have an STI, there is still a chance people come in contact with an STI. Testing frequently can hinder the chances of spreading an STI by revealing if one is present in the body despite there being little to no symptoms. Getting tested may seem embarrassing at first, but having an STI is debatably more embarrassing.
Alex Ross
Alex Rossis a third-year Communication student at Lock Haven with a focus in Journalism. This is his second year as an active member of the Eagle Eye and has been the Arts and Entertainment editor, News editor, and an active writer. He focuses on writing reviews for the A&E section, but has written stories for news, sports, and opinions. Outside of the newsroom, Alex enjoys record shopping, reading classic literature, and analyzing films. Alex hopes to work for a film or music news site as a writer or editor after graduation.
