Teach teens to use condoms religiously
The latex condom is the only form of birth control that provides protection against both pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Although it is not infallible, using a prophylactic correctly is much safer than not using it. The optimal safety strategy, if one does not opt for abstinence, requires that the man use a condom and that his female partner uses any of the three hormonal methods: the pill, Depo-Provera or Norplant.
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One of the most sensitive changes in the sexual habits of young people, says Dr. Claire Brindis, is that men have begun to share the responsibility of birth control. "The pendulum has changed," she says. "Avoiding pregnancies no longer only falls on young women."
Even so, many men try to cope with evading the use of a prophylactic before sexual activity. You are probably familiar with some of the reasons (excuses) that are normally given:
"It ruins spontaneity."
"It spoils the feeling."
It is possible that girls may feel an aversion to condoms, although the reasons usually have less to do with physical pleasure than with the stigma that is often associated with this largely criticized form of contraception. Some young women, for example, indicate that the use of condoms makes them feel "cheap", when in fact they should be congratulated for being sexually responsible. Others worry that keeping a few condoms in their bag or backpack, just in case, could be misinterpreted as a sign that they are easily convinced to go to bed or that seduction was part of their agenda all the time. It has been determined that adolescents who carry condoms are almost three times more likely to use them for protection during sexual activity.
When the issue of birth control with adolescents is addressed, the message is the same for the children as for the daughters: having sexual activity without a prophylactic, even once, could potentially disrupt their future and possibly even cost them their lives . They must inform everyone and any of their sexual partners that if there is no condom, that means there will be no sex: no excuses, no exceptions.
"Even so, teenagers think they can 'say' who has HIV and who does not," says Dr. Donna Futterman. "The comment I hear from boys and girls is 'I can see a person's eyes and know that.'" The fact is that we can not confirm anyone's monogamy more than ours. We trust that our partner is both faithful and sincere, but a study that surveyed about two hundred HIV positive patients in a couple of New England hospitals revealed that four out of ten of the infected men and women admitted that they never informed their partners about of your condition. In addition, almost two-thirds of them did not always use a condom.
Arming our children with this information can help them face the pressure of having sex without condoms or not having it at all.