Do you know how to maintain your sexual health? With sexually transmitted infections on the rise in Singapore, know how to protect yourself.
Keywords: sexual health, sexual health in Singapore, Singapore sexual health
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are becoming increasingly common in Singapore and around the world. Some STDs, such as gonorrhea and chlamydia, can usually be cured with antibiotics, but others, such as HIV, cannot be cured and may be fatal. This makes it necessary to protect yourself when you’re having sex. Unprotected sex outside of a mutually monogamous sexual relationship is not worth the risk to your sexual health.
Condoms can make sex safer, although they aren’t perfect, so sex with a condom still won’t be completely safe. A condom is very effective for prevention of diseases that are transmitted in the bodily fluids, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, and hepatitis B; however, if the condom breaks, leaks, or is put on incorrectly, then these may still be transmitted. Also, some STDs are transmitted via direct contact with infected areas, including syphilis and herpes. These will only be prevented by a condom if the condom covers the affected area, which is not always the case.
In order for condoms to prevent STDs, they must be used every time you have sex. The condom should be put on before beginning any sexual activity, because infections can be transmitted in any bodily fluid, not only in semen. Using a water-based lubricant with the condom can help to prevent it from tearing. Use a condom during oral, anal, or vaginal sex. If performing oral sex on a woman, you can use a dental dam (which is a sheet of latex) or a piece of plastic wrap placed over her genitals to protect yourself.
Ensure that you keep your condoms from becoming damaged. In %country, it’s common for people to keep them in a pocket or a wallet, but body heat can break down the latex of the condom, leading to its developing small holes. Even if the holes are too small to see, they’re large enough for infectious organisms to be pass through them. Try to keep your condoms in a cooler place, like in a drawer in your bedroom or in your purse (if you carry one). If you accidentally leave them in a hot car or another heated place, then you need to throw them out and buy new ones. Otherwise, your sexual health could be at risk.
The only way to be completely certain that you don’t get a sexually transmitted disease is to abstain from all sexual activity. This would include oral and anal sex as well as vaginal intercourse, because any of these activities can transmit STDs. Many people don’t choose to completely give up the pleasure of sex.
A safe way to enjoy sex is to confine it to a mutually monogamous relationship. Before beginning to have sex, both partners should be screened for STDs, if they’ve ever had sex before. That way, the sexual relationship can start with the partners knowing that they’re both healthy and safe. With your partner, you won’t have to worry about catching an infection, although you’ll still need some form of birth control if you don’t want to have kids right now.
References
Sexual health at Shim Clinic, Singapore