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By practicing safer sex methods, you could protect yourself from many sexually transmissable infections such as syphillis, gonorrhea, genital herpes and HIV/AIDS. With 1,200 new cases of HIV/AIDS in 1999, FPA joins with other NGO's and agencies in recommending safer sex practices. Condoms, next to abstinence have been proven to provide the highest degree of protection from the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.Here is a guide for condom use:
Always use a new condom. Check the pack expiry date. Keep a supply handy where they can't be damaged by heat, light or damp.
Take the condom out of the pack carefully, making sure that the foil, fingernails or jewellery do not damage the fine rubber.
Only use the condom after the penis becomes erect and before it makes any contact with your partner's genital area. This is important because some fluid can seep from the penis early in lovemaking.
Gently squeeze the last centimetre of the closed end between finger and thumb to expel trapped air and make space for the semen.
Keeping this space 'air-free', hold the condom at the tip of the erect penis and, with the flat part of your fingers, roll it carefully over the penis.
After climaxing but before the erection is completely lost, hold the condom rim firmly around the penis so that when the penis is withdrawn the condom doesn't slip off, accidentally spilling semen.
Never re-use condoms. Wrap them up in a tissue and put them in a bin. Don't flush them down the toilet as they cannot be broken down in the sewage system.
Today there are many more contraceptive options available than there were twenty or even ten years ago. The contraceptive pill, male and female condoms, the loop or coil, foaming tablets, contraceptive jellies and diaphragms are some of those from which a person could choose.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation, parent body of the Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago, collaborated with other international organisations and the World Health Organisation in developing eligibility criteria for the use of various contraceptive methods. These four classifications are:
- A condition for which there is no restriction for the use of the contraceptive method.
This means that the method under consideration is recommended if, in reviewing the client's medical history, the health care provider finds that an existing condition does not prohibit the client from using the method.
- A condition where the advantages of using the method generally outweigh the theoretical or proven risks.
In this case, the health care provider recommends the method whose theoretical or proven risks are less than the advantages of using that method given the existing medical condition.
- A condition where the theoretical or proven risks usually outweigh the advantages of using the method.
The method under consideration is not recommended if, in the face of the existing condition, the risks of the method outweigh the advantages of using that method.
- A condition which represents an unacceptable health risk if the contraceptive method is used.
A method is not recommended if the existing condition represents and 'unacceptable risk' should the client use it.These classifications guide medical practitioners at Family Planning Associations in assisting individuals to select the method that is just right for them.
