6
The News Argus
Dec.—Jan., 2005
Read on
Love yourself enough to
protect yourself
HEAUH&FTTNESS
It isn't that students don't know what safe sex is,
it's that many choose to ignore the information
By Jill Miller
INSTRUCTOR IN HUMAN
PERFORMANCE AND SPORTS
SCIENCES
Safe sex — college stu
dents know the informa
tion — many just choose to
ignore it. Research shows
that less than half of col
lege students consistently
use condoms, and nearly
25 percent never use them
at all. One study found
that more than half of stu
dents with a history of sex
ually transmitted disease
(STDs) had sex while
infected, and 25 percent of
them continued doing so
without informing their
partners.
Despite being highly
knowledgeable about
STDs, college students
consistently underestimate
their risk for sexually
transmitted diseases
(STDs) and engage in risky
sexual behavior anyway.
That is the reason the
Center for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) esti
mates that 9.5 million, or
half, of the 19 million new
cases of STDs this year,
will be among people aged
15-24 years old.
It is estimated that one
out of every two sexually
active people will contract
an STD by the time they
are 45 years old. The statis
tics are staggering and the
message is clear. USE
CONDOMS. Even though
the words have become an
unofficial school song and
a Trojan is coming close to
replacing our beloved
Ram, now is the time to
take the knowledge from
your cortex and put it into
action.
To help translate safe sex
knowledge into actual
skills, practice the follow
ing tips.
Don't drink and drive
— you have heard that
before, and the same mes
sage goes for sex. Mood
altering drugs like alcohol
and others affect your
judgment. Having sex
while intoxicated signifi
cantly increases your risk
for STDs. Between 30-50
percent of college students
report having sex while
intoxicated.
Limit the number of
partners. Avoid sexual
contact with people who
have engaged in risky
sexual behavior or injec
tion drug use in the past.
Many people are embar
rassed to admit their
sexual histories and it is
easy to underestimate a
partner's sexual experi
ences. One study reported
that 30 percent of college
students had ten or more
partners.
Use condoms during
every sexual encounter
and use them properly.
Just because someone says
they are STD free, doesn't
mean they are. Less than
half of adults 18^4 years
old have ever been tested
for an STD other than HIV.
Also, many STDs like,
chlamydia, genital herpes,
and HPV infection, to
name a few, have no visi
ble symptoms. “Look, I
don't have any blisters or
sores" is not a valid argu
ment for unprotected sex.
When using condoms,
buy the kind with a reser
voir at the tip. Put the con
dom on correctly. Always
put the condom on prior to
sex.
Avoid sexual contact
that causes cuts or tears in
the skin. Open wounds
increase the risk of STD
transmission.
Get periodic screen
ings, familiarize yourself
with symptoms of disease,
and seek treatment quick
ly. Women should get year
ly pelvic exams and pap
tests. And for both gen
ders, don't be embarrassed
to ask your physician for
STD screening. Simply say
that you are sexually active
and would like to be
screened for STDs. If more
people did this, STD rates
would decrease.
Symptoms for STDs
vary. If after risky sexual
relations you have flu-like
symptoms, unusual dis
charge, lesions, bumps or
wart like growths, pain
during urination or inter
course, or pain in the
abdomen or other loca
tions, consult a physician
immediately. Seeking
treatment quickly will
limit your risk for long
term complications like
infertility.
Get vaccinated for
Hepatitis B. One out of 20
people in the United States
will get infected with hep
atitis B some time during
their lives. The vaccine is
safe and effective and just
a smart move for a disease
that is 100 times more
infectious than HIV.
Enjoy sex on your
own terms and learn how
to talk about sex with you
partner. One study found
that one third of female
students consented to sex
because they simply felt
uncomfortable refusing.
Refusing sexual encounter
that you do not want is
completely acceptable.
Make sexual decisions
prior to being in the "heat
of the moment". When
talking to your partner, be
honest, use language you
are comfortable with, and
be direct.
Don't fall victim to
peer pressure. Among col
lege students, African
American and Latina
women reported higher
levels of unwanted
non-condom use than
white women, meaning
the students intended to
use a condom but did
not because of pressure
from their partner. Women,
whose sexual partners
were non-condom users,
were 4 times more likely
to feel that asking their
partner to use a condom
implied mistrust. If
you are honest and open, it
is more likely that your
partner will be too.
Develop phrases and lan
guage you can use to talk
about condom use. If you
still feel awkward, just
simply say you always use
condoms regardless of
your partner's sexual his
tory.
Christmas break is near
ly here and there will be
more time for "extra cur
ricular" activities. Use
your safe sex knowledge.
Don't come back to cam
pus singing, "On the first
day of Christmas, My true
love gave to me. Genital
herpes and other STDs."
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