When a Condom Just Isn't Enough

It's midnight, and the party has been raging for at least four hours. It's the beginning of a new semester at your university, and you're celebrating on behalf of all the future nights you will be stuck in the library, miserable, and in sweatpants instead of skinny jeans. You're with your friends, and you feel as though you are on top of the world.

As the night goes on, your tipsy turns into drunk and you’re dancing at the bars. You spot one of your guy friends walking towards you. You two have hooked up before, and he’s looking more attractive than ever. After chatting for over an hour, he asks if you want to head back to his house. You oblige, a few of your friends watch the two of you go off together (yet again), and you head out of the bars down the street.

 Fast-forward to the next afternoon. “How was it?”, “Did you take a shack shirt?”, “Are you two a thing?”. Your table of friends in the library wants to know every single detail about your escapade. “Yes it was fun!”, “He’s a great guy.”, “We’ll see how things go.” The questions were never ending. One of your more health-conscious friends begins to speak up; “Do you know if he’s clean?” “He’s been with other women since you’ve last hooked up.”.  The conversation takes a bit of a turn.

You used a condom. You did the right thing. There’s no way you could have contracted an STI. Right?

Wrong.

Although condoms do a great job at protecting one from an unwanted pregnancy as well as STIs that are transmitted by bodily fluids, they aren’t 100% effective. There are a variety of STIs that can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact.

STIs that can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact even when a condom is properly used include; syphilis, HPV, herpes, pubic lice, and scabies (Opt 2012).

Condom effectiveness also drops depending on when the condom was put on, if it was used correctly, and if it stayed on. Not to mention, many STIs can be transmitted via oral and anal sex too.

The moral of the story is; sex is a normal part of human nature and society. In order to avoid STIs altogether, the CDC recommends “abstinence or sex within a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner” (CDC 2013). For many, these strict guidelines are not the easiest to abide by. Luckily, there’s an easy way to stay safe while still having sex; get tested, and get tested after every new partner. In doing this, you protect not only yourself, but your partners as well.

For more information, visit the mayo clinic STD page at http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sexually-transmitted-diseases-stds/basics/definition/con-20034128

For testing sites near you and more information, visit the CDC’s page; https://gettested.cdc.gov/

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2013. Condom Fact Sheet in Brief. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/brief.html

Opt: Options for Sexual Health. 2012. Can I Get and STI If…. Retrieved from: https://www.optionsforsexualhealth.org/sexual-health/sexually-transmitted-infections/can-i-get-sti-if