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Safe travels : Birth control when you’re abroad
Soon my boyfriend and I will be headed to Europe for a few blissful weeks of travel. Being a bit type-A, I’m already working my way through my pre-trip checklist (renew passport, buy European outlet convertors). I breathed a little sigh of relief when I got to “birth control.” My new IUD will be effective […]
Can you get an STD from oral sex?
While you can’t get pregnant from oral sex , you can get a sexually transmitted infection (STI, a.k.a. STD). The risk of getting an STI from oral sex is a little different from the risk of vaginal sex, so let’s go over the details. First, the basic biology STIs are bacteria or viruses that rely […]
How to use barrier methods like a pro
What do condoms, internal (a.k.a. female) condoms, the diaphragm, the cervical cap, and the sponge all have in common? They all literally put a barrier between sperm and egg. These barrier methods aren’t as effective as many other methods , but they’re generally easy to get , cheap (or free) and can be doubled up […]
My glamorous life with HPV
“Just want to give a shout-out to all my HPV ladies out there,” is a thing I posted recently in an online forum for young women. The comment was in response to a poll that asked, “Do you have any STDs?” Whenever someone asks me (usually in a medical setting) if I have any STDs […]
When you don’t want to: Dealing with sexual assault
Sultry lighting, candles, smooth jazz… above all, nothing is more important to setting the mood than everyone involved wanting to be there doing what they’re doing. Consent is the voluntary agreement to engage in any sexual act—from kissing to touching to intercourse or anything in between. Consent (or, even better, enthusiastic consent! ) needs to […]
How to avoid 6 common condom problems
We’ve all been there. Things are heating up and you both know exactly what you want to happen next. One of you whispers those five crucial words: “Do you have a condom?” and the other produces one (or, better still, several) triumphantly. You’re happily getting it on when you realize the condom tore or slipped […]
Birth control top 5: What methods do health care professionals use?
Health care providers are just like us! Well, almost… A new study shows what methods of birth control family planning providers in the United States are most likely to use themselves and compares that to what methods are most popular among U.S. women overall. IUDs are big with providers, with 40% of those surveyed saying […]
4 apps for tracking your fertility
Practicing “Fertility Awareness” means more than just scoping out your fertile phases. It involves mapping out your entire cycle, including your fertile phases, your sorta fertile phases, and your not-so-fertile phases (every flavor of fertile, all phases). Following your cycle closely over time can grow fertility awareness into fertility knowledge. Identifying patterns in and across […]
How to: Birth control and the pharmacy
UPDATE: Pharmacists in Oregon and California can now prescribe and dispense certain kinds of birth control! —- Whether you have a prescription from a health care provider or just need to stock up on condoms , your local pharmacy can be a great resource to keep you protected from pregnancy and STIs. I have my […]
Before you stop using condoms…
Condoms are great—they’re available in almost any drug store or clinic and they protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). More than half of U.S. couples use a condom when they have sex for the first time, and over 93% have used condoms at some point. The number of couples relying on condoms tends […]
