What you weren’t taught in school…updated information to keep your love life safe and happy.
Summer has come and gone and students are back in school. Most likely it’s been awhile since you had a Sex Ed course and times have changed. Let’s face it—your information is old school!
New York psychiatrist and sex therapist Madeleine Castellanos, MD, offers updated, “new school” information that everyone should know to stay in the safe sex zone:
• According to the CDC, nearly half of the 19 million new STDs contracted each year are among young people aged 15–24 years (2011).
• Oral sex is not considered ‘safe sex.’ HIV, HPV, herpes, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis may all be transmitted via oral sex. In addition, a 2011 study found that the proportion of oropharyngeal cancers related to HPV increased from 16.3% to 71.7% between 1984 and 2004.
• Make oral sex safer by using a flavored condom like DKT’s Prudence brand condoms, which offer a wide variety of flavors and scents (banana, watermelon, strawberry, grape, chocolate and more) guaranteed to tickle your taste buds as well as your partner’s fancy!
• More than $8 billion is spent each year to diagnose and treat STIs and their complications, not including HIV (Guttmacher Institute). STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) are definitely out there. Protect yourself from getting them and/or spreading them.
• Oil and latex do not mix—so using petroleum jelly, baby oil, moisturizers or everyday kitchen oils with a condom can cause the latex to break down and increases your chance of breakage and infection. Wet® Platinum® Premium Silicone Lubricant and Wet® Light® Liquid Lubricant are both latex-friendly. When used correctly, Wet lube also helps to reduce excess friction, thus lessening the risk of tears.
• That funky smell down there may have nothing to do with hygiene! A number of everyday triggers, including menstruation, pregnancy, intercourse or medications, can upset the delicate vaginal ecosystem and elevate pH, causing an odor, increase or change in discharge, or a bacterial infection. Fragrance sprays, wipes and pads just mask the problem. RepHresh Gel keeps the pH balanced--an important tool in decreasing chances of bacterial vaginosis, and eliminating that “fishy” odor by treating the root cause.
Wet hopes these tips from sex therapist, MD and psychotherapist, Dr. Madeleine Castellanos will keep your love life safe and intimate this school year.
