Plan B

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone’s semesters went well and you’re enjoying your winter break now. I know I am! I finally have some free time to breath and relax, so I thought what better opportunity to make another post?

Even though there’s a lot of different kinds of birth control out there, I think there are three main ones that kids our age know about and use. Condoms and the pill are two of them. The third is one that a lot of kids hope they never have to use, but consider a lifesaver when they do use it: Plan B.

Like the name implies, Plan B is a last resort sort of thing - you don’t want to use it unless you absolutely have to. It’s a couple pills that you take within 72 hours of having sex if your other contraceptive method failed (like if the condom broke) or if you just didn’t use one. You can take the first pill any time within 72 hours, then take the second 12 hours after the first. Plan B is extremely effective, but there’s a reason it’s a last resort.
It’s expensive, for one thing. As you can see at that link, it’s $55 for the two pills, so one use. That’s like paying $55 for one condom. But worse than that, it hurts like a bitch. How it works is it floods your system with hormones, so it’s going to make you sick, no question. That’s why it’s called “emergency” contraception - you should only use it in emergencies when you’re worried that you had unprotected sex. And a note, it doesn’t protect against STDs, obviously. But if you had unprotected sex, even though it sucks, you SHOULD use Plan B. It will work, pretty much guaranteed. And I think we can all agree that the price and the feeling like shit for a day afterward are worth not being pregnant. So even though you should use Plan B as a LAST RESORT, you SHOULD use it if you didn’t use any other form of birth control. Oh, also, even though I linked to a website, don’t buy it online. It won’t get there in time, even if you do express shipping you don’t want to risk it. You can buy it over the counter at your local drugstore. I’ve heard that you need a prescription if you’re under 18, but I’m not positive about that. 18 and older you can definitely get it over the counter, though. Alright, I think that’s it about Plan B. If you have any questions, as always, ask away. Enjoy the rest of your winter break, and be safe!

Dental Dams

Damn, this semester might be my busiest yet. Sorry it’s been over a month since my last post. I’ve just been swamped with work and homework and I haven’t really had the time for this, as much as I wish I did, because it’s still important to me.
You know, you’d think with how long it’s been I’d have something to post about burning at the forefront of my mind, but I don’t, really. I think I’ve sufficiently beaten the message of USE CONDOMS into your head, and I’ve talked quite a bit about the pill, too. And really, I don’t know what other forms of birth control I can talk about. All of the others fall into one of two categories. They’re either not effective enough to warrant mentioning (like diaphragms and cervical caps) - seriously, if you want an over-the-counter prevention method, use a condom. They’re the most effective over-the-counter; that’s why they’re so popular. And then there are several other more effective methods, but they require a doctor to prescribe them to you and they’re not all that common. That’s stuff like Depo-Provera injections or Norplant inserts. I don’t know nearly enough about them to talk about them much, so I’m not going to pretend to. Really, the only birth control I know a lot about are condoms and the pill, but those are the most important, I feel, because they’re the two used most by college students.
Come to think of it, though, there are some other products I could talk about. There are products, for example, designed to help protect against STDs that don’t prevent pregnancy. The most common of these is the dental dam.

This is an example of a dental dam. They’re used during oral sex to prevent the spread of STDs. Now, I know, you’re probably all laughing at me for even suggesting this. Because they’re really not common, at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never seen one before in your life. Most teenagers haven’t. And I’ll agree, they’re less important than condoms. But if you know that your partner has an STD around his mouth - and YES, that is just as possible as having one in your genital area - I’d recommend using dental dams when you engage in oral sex. If you know your partner doesn’t have an STD, you don’t have to worry about it - and don’t just take his word for it if you don’t know him that well. Guys lie. Big surprise. But if you think he does, as lame as it might seem, a dental dam might be a good choice. Better the embarrassment of pulling one of these out than getting an STD from oral sex. And just for emphasis, I’ll repeat - you CAN get an STD from oral sex. So it can be just as important to protect yourself then as during regular sex. I know most of you probably won’t start using dental dams as a result of this post, but I felt that I should make it to educate you about them, at the very least. Hopefully at least knowing the information was helpful to you.

Alcohol and The Pill

Hey guys! Hope all of you are off to a great semester. Mine’s been pretty good so far, although midterms were kind of a bitch. Sorry it’s been so long. I told you I might not get to post much during the year, my courseload’s pretty intense. But something happened to one of my friends last weekend that made me think of this post. Last time I talked about the birth control pill. It’s one of the most effective methods of contraception out there, so a TON of college kids use it. As they well should, I’m all for that. But what’s something else a ton of college kids do? Drink. So everybody wonders, at one point or another, how does alcohol interact with the pill?
Good news: It doesn’t have any harmful effects, directly. Drinking - even as much as college kids do - won’t lower the pill’s effectiveness. But the story’s a little more complicated than that. There are some things you have to watch out for.
Bad news: If you’re on the pill, alcohol will get you drunker. If it gets you drunker, you’re more likely to throw up. And if you throw up the pill, it won’t be effective. There is no set period of time between when you take the pill and when it’s “safe” to throw up. Plus, you should just try to avoid throwing up in general. So you really have to be careful of this. WATCH HOW MUCH YOU DRINK. I can’t stress this enough. Not only will it help you avoid vomiting, but there’s other considerations with getting too drunk, too. If you get drunk earlier in the day than you take your pill, you could forget. Which is BAD. Also, drinking lowers your inhibitions and makes you more relaxed and more likely to do something, frankly, STUPID. Like have unprotected sex. Remember, even if you’re on the pill you should use a condom. And that’s a lot less likely to happen if you’re drunk. So as much as I know I sound like a mother or a university official or campus police officer, DON’T DRINK TOO MUCH. Know your limits. Believe me, I’ve been there, I know what it’s like to go overboard. And I’ve seen friends who’ve had it way worse. Be smart. Don’t drink too much, if only because it can increase your chances of doing something dumb and really regretting it.

The Pill

Hey guys! It’s been a while. Classes are pretty tough this semester, like I expected they would be. But I got some time this afternoon, so I thought I’d write another post. This time, I want to tell you a little bit about the second most popular form of birth control teens use, behind condoms. That’s the birth control pill. I’m sure most if not all of you have heard of it before, usually just called “the pill.” It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: it’s a pill that a girl takes every day to prevent pregnancy. What it does is release a combination of hormones that prevent ovulation. No ovulation means no egg to be fertilized means no pregnancy, simple as that. But it’s not quite so simple. Here are some things to keep in mind with the birth control pill:
You have to take it EVERY DAY at the SAME TIME or it won’t work. Pills come in 28-day packs and 21-day packs. With the 21-day, the seven days you don’t take a pill are for your period. With the 28-day, seven of the pills don’t actually do anything - those are for you to take while you’re on your period. I highly recommend getting the 28 day pack so you don’t forget to start back up taking the real pills after your period is over. Because the absolute most important thing with birth control pills is that you TAKE IT EVERY DAY.
The pill doesn’t start working reliably for the first seven days of taking it. So you should definitely use another form of birth control, like a condom, during this time. Technically. But personally I think you should continue to use a condom EVERY TIME even when you’re on the pill and have been for a while. The pill does NOT protect against STDs, and condoms do. So unless you’re absolutely positive your partner is clean, use a condom too. Frankly, I’d say use one even if you know he’s clean, because two forms of birth control are better than one.

Here’s another thing - unlike condoms, birth control has to be perscribed by a doctor. So yes, you can’t just buy it online so no one will find out. But your doctor is required to keep it secret that you got birth control if you ask her to. So don’t not get it because you’re worried about someone finding out. Don’t let that stop you. Birth control is important and if you want to use the pill, get it.

I think that’s all I have to say for now. These are just some basic facts about the pill and how it works; if you want more detailed information ask your doctor. Like I’ve said before, I’m not a doctor, I’m just trying to give some basic information to kids who need it. Here’s one last tip about birth control - it’s kind of expensive, so if you’re in a relationship and only having sex with one guy, ask him to pay for half of it. It’s not so bad if two people are splitting the cost. You definitely don’t want to opt against birth control for financial reasons, because believe me, a baby is way more expensive than the pill.

Back to School

Classes started this week! The first few days weren’t too bad (which was why I was able to get that quick post in on Monday), but the work’s already starting to pile up now. I don’t have any information to share with you right now, I’ve actually got to be somewhere in a half hour and I know it would take me too long to write a real post. I’m sure you’re all breathing sighs of relief. I just wanted to put this up real quick to let you all know that my posts aren’t going to be as frequent now that I’m back at school, but I am still going to make them. And they’ll be more important than ever now that all of you are back at school, too. I know you’ll all be in situations more often where you could benefit from my advice, and you know it too. I’m going to keep posting as often as I can, so please, PLEASE keep checking back and reading, because all of this information will be especially important during the school year! And if you know any freshmen, especially, who could use the information, refer them to my site. Believe me, I remember freshman year, and they’ve got enough reasons to be stressed out this year. They don’t need to add pregnancy to the list. Alright, well, bye for now. I hope to talk to you all again soon!

More condom information

Yeah, yeah, I can already hear you groaning. But don’t worry, this isn’t going to be another long lecture about condoms from me. Instead, I just want to provide a link to a web page with a lot of information about condoms. Some of it is the same stuff I’ve already talked about, but some of it’s new. It has a lot more of the raw data and statistics than I’ve posted, too. So if you have a little bit of time, I’d strongly suggest you read through this page so you can learn a little more. The more you know about condoms, the better, since they’re the number one form of birth control and it’s very likely that you’re going to be using them, especially if you go to college. It’s a lot of information to take in, and you might think you don’t need to know all of it, and you might be partially right about some of it. But like they say, better safe than sorry. Here’s the link.

While I’m at it, here’s a table on the same site comparing different types of birth control. So far all I’ve talked about are male and female condoms, but I’m going to be getting to the other types soon.

There you go, that’s all for now. Think of it as a little break from my boring lectures. But really, I’m sorry if you think they’re boring, but I’ve heard most health education is. It might be boring, but it’s important. So I hope you’ll stick around for when I talk about some of the other types of birth control.

Female Condoms

Up until now, when I’ve talked about condoms, I’ve been referring to the male condom, which is the more mainstream type of condom. But there’s actually another type. I bet you can’t guess what these ones are called.

That’s right, the female condom. Here’s an example of a fairly popular one: the fc female condom.

Like male condoms, female condoms are a fairly effective form of birth control, but they’re not quite as effective as male condoms. If used every time you have sex, male condoms are effective 97% of the time, but female condoms are only effective about 95% of the time. Female condoms are more expensive, too. There are some advantages, though. For one thing, all female condoms are made of polyurethane, which means they’re more comfortable than latex and you (most likely) don’t have to worry about an allergy. Also, because they line the vagina instead of going around the penis, they provide a looser fit that a lot of people say makes it feel more natural. I’ve never had sex without a condom, so I can’t make that comparison, but I trust that those people are right.

The biggest advantage to female condoms, though, is that they give women the sense of control that male condoms don’t. A lot of times, especially in college, sex can be a spontaneous thing. You might not think you’re going to be spending Friday night with someone else, but then you go out partying and sure enough, you end up having sex. Believe me, I know what that’s like. So it’s always best to be prepared. A female condom can be inserted up to eight hours before having sex and still be effective. So if you think you’re going to be “getting lucky”, you can make sure that that luck doesn’t turn sour and prepare in advance by putting in a female condom. Plus, I think it gives a sense of empowerment that you don’t have to rely on the guy to put on a condom. Because I’m sure a lot of you girls know that guys aren’t the most reliable, and they forget (or more likely “forget”) things like that all the time.

I think that’s just about all I can think of to say about female condoms. As always, if you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask them.

Other condom materials

Yeah, yeah, it’s another post about condoms. I feel like a condom salesman. But hey, it’s important. Condoms are by far the most widely known and most used type of birth control out there.

In my first post about condoms, I mentioned two materials condoms are made from – latex and polyisoprene. Latex is the most popular material for condoms out there, and has been for quite some time. There are way more latex condoms out there than anything else. Polyisoprene, on the other hand, is a fairly newly discovered material in condom-making, and there are very few types of polyisoprene condom on the market. But there are two other materials used in condoms, too.

Polyurethane is another synthetic material, similar to polyisoprene, but it’s been around a little longer. There are more varieties than there are for polyisoprene, but it’s still nowhere near the number there are for latex. Like polyisoprene, people with latex allergies can use polyurethane condoms safely. Not only are there polyurethane male condoms, but all female condoms are made of polyurethane, too. I’ll talk more about female condoms next time (yes, there’s going to be at least one more post about condoms. They’re important.) An example of a polyurethane male condom is Trojan Supra.

Last and probably least, there’s lambskin condoms. They’re made from the intestines of a sheep. Sounds gross, right? Yeah. Lambskin was one of the first materials to be used for condoms, even before latex. There’s a reason we’ve developed new materials. Lambskin condoms have pores in them that are small enough so that sperm can’t pass through, so they do protect against pregnancy, but the pores are big enough that STDs CAN pass through. Lambskin condoms are still available, but they’re more expensive than other types and I do NOT recommend them at all. The only reason they still exist is because some people are allergic to latex, but in modern day there are polyisoprene and polyurethane condoms for that. The only reason you should ever get these is if you’re allergic to latex AND the other two materials (if that’s even possible). But if for whatever reason you want lambskin, and example is Trojan Naturalamb.

That’s all for now. Next time, I’ll talk about female condoms. As always, if you’ve got questions, ask away.

How to use condoms

As a follow-up to my post earlier this week, I want to make sure everybody knows how to properly use a condom. If you’re using one, that’s great, but if you’re not using it right it’s just like you’re not using one at all.

First, pull out a new condom (DON’T REUSE CONDOMS!) and make sure the packaging isn’t opened or damaged. This is very important. A damaged or previously used condom will not work. Make sure it isn’t past the expiration date, either. Also, don’t store condoms in a place where they might get crushed – like a wallet for more than a night.

Once it’s open, figure out which end is the head. Unroll it a little bit to figure this out. It should look like a little sombrero with a rim facing up on the outside. Then, place the condom on the head of the penis. Hold the top of the condom with one hand and unroll it down the shaft with the other. Make sure the penis is erect before you do this, or it won’t work. If it doesn’t unroll all the way to the base of the penis, that’s okay. As long as it covers most of the penis. If it barely fits, lucky you, go get a bigger condom and don’t try to use one that’s too small. Make sure it fits snugly (but not too tight), it’s not inside out, and there’s no holes or anything in it. Double check just to be safe.

Now do what you’re gonna do. Once you’re done, unroll it and slip it off. Tie it up and throw it away. You can’t flush them, so don’t try unless you want to be mopping up your bathroom floor. And, I’ll say this again: DON’T REUSE THE SAME CONDOM. I heard a guy in one of my classes once talking about his “lucky condom”. This is just stupid. Any condom that’s already been used is nothing but unlucky, because it won’t protect you.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering about another myth: No, putting on two condoms will not make it “extra-safe.” In fact, the friction will likely cause them to break. Only use ONE condom! Not ONE brand, I already told you those aren’t good. The capitalization was for emphasis. You know what I mean. Alright, that’s all for now. If you have any further questions about how to use a condom, ask away.

Condoms

Hi everyone. For my first post, I want to talk about condoms. Short version: use them. Long version: use them correctly and use them every time you have sex. It might sound obvious, in fact I hope it does and if it does you’re probably not my target audience (but I suggest you keep reading either way). If it doesn’t sound obvious because nobody’s told you how important condoms are before, let me be the first. Condoms are important. They are one of the most effective ways of preventing both pregnancy and the transmission of STDs.

And yeah, I’ve already heard all the excuses in the world for not using them. It doesn’t feel as good, I don’t need it if I’m on the pill, bullshit like that. You know what else doesn’t feel good? Childbirth. And the pill doesn’t protect you from STDs. I had a friend who used every reasonable and unreasonable excuse in the book. Then, him and his girlfriend had a pregnancy scare. He started listening to me after that. I don’t mean to sound like I’m preaching from atop a pedestal or anything like that, but I can’t stress enough how important condoms are. Of course, every form of birth control is important, and I’m going to talk about the other types eventually to cover all the bases. But the condom is one of the most effective types, and one of the only types that also protects you from STDs. I could rant about this for a long time, but I think you’ve got my point. Condoms=good. If you need more convincing, check out thisinformation page.

Now, there are a lot of types of condoms, and that page compares them a little bit from an effectiveness and durability standpoint. But I’m going to make some personal recommendations about what feels the best, because I know that’s what a lot of people care about, and it’s a reason a lot of people don’t use them. First, things I would not recommend:

-Trojan “Her Pleasure.” I know a lot of girls who do like these. After all, that’s what they’re designed for. One of my roommates uses them almost exclusively. But personally, I’m not a fan. I found that there was too much friction down there. No thanks. But I this is a subjective thing. I’d say try it out, see if you or your girlfriend likes it.

-The “ONE” brand. I’ve used them a couple of times, and they were definitely less pleasurable than other brands. I think they’re smaller than other brands, too. On the plus side, the packaging is cool. Maybe it’s to distract from how bad the condoms are.

Now, what I do recommend: Polyisoprene condoms like lifestyles Skyn or Durex bare.

These are a relatively new thing that came out as an alternative to latex. It used to be that the only thing people with a latex allergy could use were lambskin condoms, and while I’ve never tried one almost everything I’ve heard about them has been bad. But these new polyisoprene condoms are great, even if you don’t have a latex allergy. They’re as sensitive as ultra-thin condoms with the strength of normal ones. They feel a hell of a lot better. They’re a little more expensive, but they’re worth it, in my opinion.

So, in summary: Use a condom. Try the polyisoprene variety. Stay away from ONE. But most importantly, no matter what brand or type it is, just make sure you use one. Whew, I feel like I just wrote a term paper. That’s all for now. ‘Til next time.

Welcome to my Blog

Hi everybody, my name’s Katie. I grew up in the small town of Willow Springs, where there wasn’t any formal sex education program in high school. I entered college knowing almost nothing about safe sex and birth control, and sophomore year I saw a friend from high school learn the importance of birth control the hard way. Over the past three years I’ve learned a lot about safe sex, both from personal experience and from hearing other people’s stories. I don’t think I’m going to have as tough a courseload this semester as I did last year, and so I wanted to take this opportunity to start this blog, which I’ve been meaning to do for a while now. I want to educate college kids like me, who didn’t get any sex education in high school and don’t know as much as they should about birth control. I hope my blog will teach you how to be safely sexually active, so you don’t have to learn about birth control the hard way.