Consensual Text

Due to warmer weather and general spring fever, the Goddess briefly became unhinged: in Week 34, she actually advised gentlemen to wrap their member in plastic wrap.

While this may be a heap of fun, it is not advisable from a sexual health perspective.  So, ladies and gentlemen, please wrap your favorite penises in plastic wrap as you wish, but note that this practice is a definite “no-no” if you are looking to prevent STIs (sexually transmitted infections) or pregnancy.

Sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy can ensue.  What was she thinking?

Sincerely,

Goddess Management

By the time you are overcome with desire, lust, and passion, it is very difficult to use your brain. Our brains are often useless at times like this…

…but it’s not a good time to have sex!

Unless you are ready to accept dealing with an unplanned pregnancy or an STD – your only choice is NOT have sex – vaginal, anal or oral sex.  We’re talking NO SEX.

Don’t think it’s easy –  many people have found themselves in this situation. It is risky to “take a chance”.   

The best thing is to plan ahead and consider your evening’s plans beforehand.  Make sure you always carry condoms with you.  Be prepared – passion and lust can take over and they rule most of us. 

Back to the condoms – carry them in a small safe place and don’t be ashame you have them with you.  Being prepared doesn’t say anything about your morals – it says you use your brain.

So – back to the situation.  Be honest and express your concerns to your partner. Remind yourself and your sexual partner of how the consequences will be a lot more difficult than resisting sex right now.  Instead, make a plan to get together asap and talk about what you both want to do when you “get together”.

Throughout history, authors and poets have built careers on writing about anticipation of an upcoming rendezvous – the anticipation of pleasure mixed with desire is always something to look forward to and is the stuff of great fantasies.   

There are good times to talk about safer sex practices. The throes of sexual desire and passion is not always the right time. Find a way to talk about safer sex before you get together again.  Over coffee, the phone or email; the conversation can be an opportunity to create more intimacy. Be honest and say what you want and need to enjoy yourself.  

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org

If you are worried about STDs or pregnancy, it will interfere with those wonderful feelings of pleasure, arousal, and desire.  It is so much easier to feel aroused and enjoy sex when you aren’t concerned about being safe and responsible.  Fear and worry hinder all of us from being over the top with excitement.

When men are worried, they can experience premature ejaculation. When women are worried, they often lack lubrication and experience vaginal tightness.  This does not help anyone enjoy sex and feel sensual.

 Tips for being safer and sexier …

• Introduce condoms into your sex life (if you haven’t already) – and be creative about using them. Put the condom on your partner with your mouth, put the condom on slowly, put it on together…
• Use water-based lube-lots of it- to make sex slippery and sensual.  Safer sex soars when sex feels great and wet (and the bonus is that the lube prevents the condom from breaking). 
• Carry a condom if you are a woman – it is assertive and it is sexy.
• With a female condom, remember that it is made of polyurethane and is much thinner than latex making it easier to feel the “sex heat” you and your partner create.
• Talk dirty.  It is a sexy turn-on.  Talking about using condoms and lube  can make it hot and sexy.  Communication about what you like is good for the relationship – so make it fun – use sexy/naughty/hot language.

And the greatest turn-on of all: laughter. If things get a little awkward, nothing breaks the tension like humor. Besides, laughing is a natural aphrodisiac.

Use latex for all genital sex and remember … get yourself tested.  

Planned Parenthood health centers across the country are offering low- or no-cost STD testing for the month of April.  Use the zip code finder and get yourself tested.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org

“Hard to Spell, Easy to Catch”  brought to you courtesy of Peel Public Health, Ontario, Canada.

Yup.

The  CDC reports one in four U.S. teenage women between the ages of 14 and 19 are infected with a sexually transmitted infection (also known ast STDs). The highest rates are among older teens and college-age young women.

About 19 million new STDs occur amongst people of all ages in the United States.  54% of college students regularly use condoms during vaginal intercourse, 29% during anal sex and only 4% during oral sex.

One of the most common STDs is HPV – Human papillomavirus, which sometimes causes genital warts or cervical cancer -the other is Chlamydia. The CDC recommends that sexually active women under the age of 25 have annual Chlamydia screening and should be vaccinated against HPV. 

Dont wait for symptoms: women are often unaware  they are infected until symptoms worsen (and some STDs, like Chlamydia, often have no symptoms).  The best protection is to use a condom and get yourself tested.

And there is something you might not know:  Compared to their hetero sexual or lesbian counterparts, bisexual college women are at greatest risk for STDs. Researchers are unclear whether it’s the gender of their sexual partners, their number of partners, or the combination of these two factors that seem to increase the STD frequency.

April is Get Yourself Tested Month (GYT09).  Planned Parenthood health centers across the country are offering either low- or no-cost STD testing and treatment.  Click here to use the zipcode finder to find a location that works for you.

If you have an STD, you should immediately tell your sex partner/partners so they can get tested and treated if necessary. The  same goes for you – if your partner or one of your partners is diagnosed with an STD – you need to be tested and treated.

Stay tuned in coming weeks for tips on how to make safe sex sexy.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s Education Department carefully selects all weekly questions. All questions are actual inquiries made to PPNNE by college-aged students.

Should you have a question you would like to see included, please send an email to goddess@ppnne.org