For students who choose to be sexually active, practicing safe sex helps minimize stress and promotes overall health. Reducing your risk of sexually transmitted infections and using effective birth control if you’re not ready to start a family are two important ways to take control of your sex life and adopt healthy sexual behavior.
Avoid Sexually Transmitted Infections
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs): Illnesses, some treatable and some incurable, that are spread through the exchange of bodily fluids during sexual activity.
There are many types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) — illnesses spread through the exchange of bodily fluids during sexual activity. If you’re sexually active, how do you stay safe? Start by educating yourself. Table 12.1 shows the frequency, symptoms, and treatment methods for six common STIs. As you can see, some STIs are curable; others aren’t. Then take steps to reduce your risk. For example:
Have sex with only one partner at a time — a person you know well.
Always use condoms.
Get tested for STIs regularly, even if you don’t have any symptoms. You can pass on an STI to someone else without even knowing you have one.
Have your partner get tested regularly.
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FOR DISCUSSION: Ask students why they think the topic of sexual health has been brought up in this class. How does it relate to stress, finances, and mental health?
ACTIVITY: Sexual health can be an intimidating and embarrassing issue for students to confront. As a class, brainstorm ways you could make the topic of sexual health more approachable. For example, come up with an advocacy campaign for good sexual-health practices on campus.
Issues of sexual health are very personal, but if you have any questions or concerns about STIs, talk with someone you trust who can advise and support you — for example, a counselor, a clergy member, your physician, or a mentor. This person can connect you with the information you need to stay safe and healthy.
| STI | Number of new cases per year in the United States | Symptoms | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human papillomavirus (HPV) | 14 million | There are many types of HPV. Men and women can experience warts in the genital area. HPV can also lead to cervical and other cancers. | No cure. Treatments exist for illnesses caused by HPV. |
| Chlamydia | 2.5 million+ | Many people have no symptoms. Women can have vaginal discharge. Men can experience discharge from their penis or pain when urinating. | Curable. Treated with antibiotics. |
| Gonorrhea | 800,000+ | Men may have a burning sensation when urinating or a yellowish, white, or greenish discharge from their penis. Women may have pain or discharge, but most have no symptoms. | Curable. Treated with antibiotics, but some drug-resistant strains are developing. |
| Genital herpes | 750,000+ | One or more blisters near the genitals. Commonly mistaken for a skin infection. | No cure. Outbreaks are treated to shorten duration. |
| Syphilis | 55,000+ | Sore on the skin or genitals is the first sign. Left untreated, rashes and sores then appear on other parts of the body. | Curable. Treated with antibiotics. |
| HIV/AIDS | 45,000+ (HIV) | Few or no symptoms early. Later, men and women may have weight loss, fatigue, cough, fever, or white spots on the tongue or throat. | No cure. Medications help people live with the disease. |
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Practice Birth Control
If you’re a woman having sex with a man and you don’t want to start a family now, practicing birth control can give you peace of mind and prevent the stress that can come with an unplanned pregnancy. If you’re a man having sex with a woman, using a birth control method designed for men is a good idea, especially if you’re not certain that your partner is using birth control. There are many birth control options. Some require prescriptions; others are sold over the counter; still others involve behavior choices. Most don’t protect against STIs.
Physicians on campus or at community health centers can prescribe some of these options and share information about each method’s risks and benefits, which can help you choose the options right for you.
Birth control pill: a pill a woman takes orally at the same time each day.
Patch: a skin patch a woman wears. She applies a new patch each week for three weeks and wears no patch during the fourth week, when she should get her menstrual period.
Intrauterine device (IUD): a small device inserted in a woman’s uterus by a health care provider. Some IUDs can be used for up to ten years.
Vaginal ring: a small ring inserted in a woman’s vagina for three weeks and removed during the fourth week, when she should get her menstrual period.
The shot: an injection of pregnancy-preventing hormones that lasts for three months.
Condoms: sheaths that are worn over the penis or inserted into the vagina.
Abstinence: choosing not to engage in sexual intercourse.12
ACTIVITY: Invite a representative from the student health center to give a brief presentation on this topic. Students may be more open to discussing this topic with a health care professional.