Today is Feb. 1, the beginning of a wonderful and important month. During the month of February, we celebrate significant causes such as National African American History Month, Deaf History Month, National Woman’s History Month, and Marijuana Awareness Month. However, in February we also celebrate National Condom Month. No, I did not make this up! The American Sexual Health Association (ASHA), recognizes February as #CondomMonth and encourages all to learn about safe sex.
Sometimes facts about sex can be difficult to understand or it can be outdated by new information. “Condomology” is an initiative written by ASHA, to have a collection of fact-based information supported by fact sheets and videos to make understanding simple and easy. What I mean by videos, is a program called Sexual Health TV that consists of channels dedicated to condoms and risk reduction. These channels can teach you the history of condoms, how they are manufactured and tested and how to use one correctly.
Male condoms are not only easy to find and inexpensive, but they are easy to use. Some people are brought up in families that would keep sex talk out of the question and left kids wondering about safe sex. Being educated is super important when having sex. Condoms are a great way to prevent risks of HIV, chlamydia, and other sexually transmitted infections. But most importantly, it prevents unplanned pregnancies. These are all helpful if you remember to get the correct size for you!
It is smart to know what male condoms are good for, but it is also good to make sure you are taking care of them to avoid the risk of expiring or getting damaged. For example, be sure to keep them out of the sun! I remember my best friend leaving it in the car one summer day and came back to an overly stretched out condom due to the sun exposure. Another tip to remember, is to be sure to not use lotions, baby oil, or Vaseline with latex condoms. The oils in these products can weaken the condom and become prone to breaking. Instead, use K-Y Jelly. Lastly, be sure to use a new condom if you’re doing anal and chose to go to the vagina. It is super unsanitary to switch back and forth and can cause infections even with a condom!
Female condoms, on the other hand, are not as common but are still used as a tool to help prevent STI’s and pregnancy. There are various advantages to the female condom that many are unaware of. Due to the outer ring of the condom, it can prevent herpes and HPV from spreading from skin to skin contact. Another positive side to the female condom, is it will stay in place no matter what happens during sex. Although women would not prefer to use these, it is still a better option than no condom. Recently, when I went back home for Christmas break, I saw on my dresser a huge female condom and I laughed at it. My mother didn’t even say a word. She just casually placed it there with no acknowledgments. Even though I laughed and thought to myself that I would never use it, I still kept it because I knew it was a good backup plan if a situation does come up.
With this information, I hope you all enjoy National Condom Month. Especially because Valentine’s Day is coming up and parties are everywhere since it is the first couple of weeks back. Be sure to wrap it up and talk to your partner about safe sex before interacting. Sometimes people are against wearing condoms because of the smell or the feeling is different. But remember you are in control of your own body.