This is an automatically translated article.
The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Safe sex helps protect your health, limit the possibility of unwanted pregnancy and the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
1. What is safe and unsafe sex?
Safe sex is a form of sex that helps limit the chance of an unwanted pregnancy and doesn't spread sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This means that during intercourse with your partner, there is no physical contact with blood, vaginal secretions and semen.
How to have safe sex is one of the main goals of sex education. Safe sex can reduce the risk of unintended consequences, but cannot completely prevent the risk from occurring. Safe sex is only really effective when both partners agree and do it. This is also a measure to help ensure family planning.
In contrast, unprotected sex spreads sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and leads to unwanted pregnancy. Currently, scientists have identified more than 20 types of STDs, including HIV/AIDS, gonorrhea, genital warts, genital herpes, genital warts, syphilis, vaginal infections, and genital yeast infections. , chlamydia,... Many unintended pregnancies force abortions, which seriously affect women's health, both physically and mentally.
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2. How to have safe sex?
Currently, the most common way of preventing pregnancy is using a condom, an IUD, or taking birth control pills. However, the only way to be sure not to get pregnant or contract STIs is to abstain from sex altogether.
Teens who want safe sex have many options to reduce their risk of unwanted pregnancy. Different birth control methods carry certain risks. Condoms are one of the most common methods of birth control, but if not used correctly, the risk of pregnancy is relatively high. Latex condoms are the only form of protection and also prevent HIV transmission. Other methods, including hormonal therapy such as birth control pills, physical therapy such as the IUD, diaphragm, and spermicide, require consultation and prescription from a doctor.
3. Does safe sex help prevent STIs?
Safe sex helps prevent pregnancy and reduces the chance of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. However, the ability to protect depends on the mechanism of action and usage of each method. Latex condoms are considered effective prevention against STDs, working by reducing the likelihood of direct contact with genitals or secretions from a sexual partner. This product is widely available and easy for consumers to find and buy. However, how to have safe sex depends on using condoms correctly. For maximum effectiveness, consumers need to strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Details of fetal development week by week, every parent should learn:
4. Is oral sex safe?
Oral sex is not necessarily safe sex because there is still the possibility of transmitting STDs (to both partners). The agents that cause STDs are mainly viruses or bacteria that enter the body through small scratches on the skin or mucous membranes during sex. Therefore, any form of sexual contact carries a risk of disease transmission. Specifically, diseases such as herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis A, B, C and HIV are all capable of being transmitted through oral sex.
Condoms and mouth guards can reduce the risk of STDs during oral sex.
5. Safe sex requires cooperation between two people
Communication is an important part of safe sex. Talk openly with your partner about safety and the need for protection if you're planning on having sex. In addition, if a patient has a sexually transmitted disease, it is recommended that patients talk about this with their sexual partners to make them aware of the importance of protection. However, even if a partner is healthy and has no symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease, it is still possible for them to be infected without even knowing it.
According to statistics, up to 3/4 of women and half of men infected with chlamydia do not have any symptoms. As such, the only way to be sure if a person has an STD is to go to the doctor and get tested.
6. Contraceptive failure rate when using condoms
With latex condoms, even when used correctly, there is a failure rate of about 3%. If you use incorrect instructions or break a condom during sex, the rate of unwanted pregnancy will be higher. If used in combination with other methods of contraception (eg oral contraceptives, contraceptive devices,...) the risk of pregnancy is significantly reduced.
7. Contraception failure rate when using oral contraceptives
Birth control pills need to be used according to the advice of the doctor and the manufacturer's instructions. If these are ensured, the chance of unwanted pregnancy for oral contraceptives is generally less than 1%.
One thing to keep in mind, is that birth control pills do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
8. Importance of sex education
Parents, teachers and the community should practice sex education early for children, especially teenagers. Having an early knowledge about safe sex will help teens get accurate information, help protect themselves, avoid the risk of STDs and unwanted pregnancy.
Sex education for children also helps children delay having sex, develop deeper emotional relationships before thinking about sex. In addition, adolescents with knowledge about safe sex tend to choose a more suitable partner, have a healthier relationship, and have fewer health risks. For gay or lesbian couples, protected sex is a way to help prevent the risk of STDs, especially HIV.
In all cases, complete abstinence from sex is the only safe and secure measure, helping couples to avoid unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
When there is a desire to have a baby, to prepare for a healthy pregnancy, both husband and wife should check their reproductive health 3-5 months before becoming pregnant.
The wife should:
Get vaccinated before pregnancy (especially against rubella because rubella in pregnancy is extremely dangerous ) Genetic testing to screen for genetic diseases before pregnancy Check for secondary infections In particular, women over 35 years of age, if they want to become pregnant (especially if they have never been pregnant), will have to have a very detailed health check because pregnancy at this age often problems: Ovarian failure, premature birth, higher risk of birth defects, placenta previa, preeclampsia. The husband should:
Check reproductive health, detect diseases of testicular atrophy, physiological weakness, weak sperm... Sexually transmitted diseases, especially those that cannot be cured, are extremely dangerous. Vinmec currently has many comprehensive health care programs for couples, pregnant mothers and their unborn babies, including basic pre-marital examination packages, advanced pre-marital examination packages, and maternity packages. . Vinmec has a team of experienced doctors in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology, IVF, stem cells, gene technology, capable of synchronously and comprehensively deploying the most advanced assisted reproductive techniques today.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
Reference source: webmd.com
