Girls please respond

[Lerry]

Well let me start out by saying that ever since I was 17 I have not been able to use a condom, without losing erection. I have managed to get a few girl-friends who do not mind using other types of contraceptives, but it seems that it is hard to find someone like that. Currently I do not have a girl-friend, and would like to get one. I have tested and I am clean. Also if I get a girl I would like her to be tested as well, but my question is, if your boyfriend had trouble with using condoms, would you consider other contraceptive methods. I am trying to find out in order of priority, which contraception do girls prefer. Please help me

[BeenThere]

Other contraceptives can be effective for preventing pregnancy, but they do not protect you from STDs. If you are going to have intercourse without a condom, then make sure you are tested OFTEN, and carry the paperwork to prove it should you be asked. Don't be afraid to stop and ask questions of your potential partner. If you feel comfortable enough to have sex...then you had better be comfortable enough to talk about it first. It's your life!

Well let me start out by saying that ever since I was 17 I have not been able to use a condom, without losing erection. I have managed to get a few girl-friends who do not mind using other types of contraceptives, but it seems that it is hard to find someone like that. Currently I do not have a girl-friend, and would like to get one. I have tested and I am clean. Also if I get a girl I would like her to be tested as well, but my question is, if your boyfriend had trouble with using condoms, would you consider other contraceptive methods. I am trying to find out in order of priority, which contraception do girls prefer. Please help me

[Artlover]

Hate to rain on your parade Lerry, but there are many skin stds that are difficult to test for (herpes, HPV, warts) ESPECIALLY in men. Up to 80% of all sexually active people in the US (I'm assuming that's where you live) have been exposed to HPV and carry it now or have carried it in the past, often with no symptoms. In women, HPV can cause cervical dysplasia, which MOST of the time is mild and reverses in time on its own. Men won't have any idea and because it's such a transient, benign virus there's no serious threat of passing anything scary along. HOWEVER, some women and men unknowingly carry strains of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. This still causes no visible symptoms in a man. And a woman only knows she has it if she gets an abnormal pap smear.

 

As for warts and herpes, these are usually discernable by sight, but not always. And you can sleep with a woman when the virus is inactive and not know she has it. In fact, there are some people walking around with warts/herpes viruses in their systems and they don't even know it themselves (either because their symptoms are relatively mild or because they're just carriers). The only way for anyone to know for sure they don't have herpes is to get a blood test. Something like 30% of the US population carries the genital herpes virus. And 80% of the population carries the kind of herpes that causes cold sores (only about 20% actually get cold sores).

 

PLEASE use a condom Lerry. Until you really know someone and until you're willing to share whatever viruses they have lurking in their bodies (benign or more worrisome like Herpes or warts) it's just not worth the chance, in my opinion. And of course get regularly tested for things like AIDS and other stds that have more obvious symptoms.

 

As Been There said, it's your life. Value it. I guess you can tell by my answer that condoms are my favored choice of contraception and even they are not 100% effective, but they are at least a good start!

 

P.S. If you're wondering where I got my information:

 

a. My gynecologist

 

b. Women's health books

 

c. Internet health sites and other random std sites

 

d. Center for Disease Control std hotline

 

P.P.S. I am not a doctor or God, so don't take my words as the absolute gospel. I'm just a single person living in a time in our collective history where stds of all kinds are absolutely common so I like to stay informed!!!!

 

Other contraceptives can be effective for preventing pregnancy, but they do not protect you from STDs. If you are going to have intercourse without a condom, then make sure you are tested OFTEN, and carry the paperwork to prove it should you be asked. Don't be afraid to stop and ask questions of your potential partner. If you feel comfortable enough to have sex...then you had better be comfortable enough to talk about it first. It's your life!