Protection Against Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Have you ever heard the term, to-die-for body? Do not take it literally. You do not want to meet an untimely death for no-one’s sake. You do not want to find the symptoms of STD on yourself or your partner.

There are many ways to stay out of harm’s way. Ask your sex partners to get tested. Get checked yourself. If you have any suspicion that you are infected, or you notice any change in your body, any possible symptoms of STD, do not hesitate. Go to see your doctor, the sooner the better.

Always use protection so that to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Your sex partner has to understand that you value your health and safety. Insist on using a condom, which is still the best way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Of course, you have to keep in mind that condom is not the best alternative when it comes to birth control. There are much safer, better, more effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Condom prevents your partner’s semen, vaginal fluids, or blood from getting into your body and blood stream and infecting you with a disease.

There are alternatives to condoms: latex surgical gloves or plastic wraps. Condom is your safest choice. You have to make sure that you use the right condom the right way.

Lubricated latex condoms are safe. Avoid condoms made of lambskin! They do not prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases – so they are useless, since we know that condoms are not the most effective way to prevent pregnancy.

If you use lubrication, use water-based lubes. Aqua Lube, Foreplay, KY Jelly are good examples. Oil based lubricants may damage condoms, and you do not want an ugly surprise. Shun vaseline, creams, and lotions.

You have to use condom for vaginal and anal sex, this goes without saying. You also must use condoms when you have oral sex with your partner. Yes, a diseased partner can infect you with HIV and other diseases through your mouth. You may have tiny wounds on the mucus membrane lining of your mouth (coming from brushing your teeth or biting your tongue), so, without protection, you are not safe at all.

Always check out the expiration date on the packaging of the condom. Put it on an erected penis, pull the foreskin back, and make sure that you are using the condom on the right side.

Once the sexual intercourse is over, the man should withdraw until his penis is still hard. When pulling his penis out, he should hold the condom with a hand, making sure it will not slip off.

When you give oral sex to a woman, use plastic wrap. Place it over her vagina. Like a condom, it can protect you from sexually transmitted diseases.

Best Birth Control Methods: Birth Control Arm Implant

Birth control arm implant, also known as Nexplanon or Implanon, is amongst the best birth control methods. It is a small, thin, flexible plastic rod shaped contraceptive implant. A doctor can easily insert a birth control arm implant beneath the skin of a woman’s upper arm, it does not require a surgery, only local numbing with a painkiller. It takes a couple of minutes. A birth control arm implant is no larger than a matchstick. It contains etonogestrel, a steroidal progestin that can prevent pregnancy. The birth control arm implant releases progestin, a hormone, into a woman’s system. The progestin prevents the woman’s eggs from leaving the ovaries. It also thickens the cervical mucus of the woman, keeping sperm away from the egg. A birth control arm implant is available in more than sixty countries all over the world. In the United States, it has been approved in 2006.

How to Get a Birth Control Arm Implant

You are supposed to find a doctor who has completed a special training in inserting and removing a birth control arm implant. You can find such doctors at a Planned Parenthood health center close to your town. You can also visit the website of Implanon where you can find such health care providers.

How Effective Is a Birth Control Arm Implant

A birth control arm implant is effective for three years.

When you decide what kind of contraception options you want to use, you want the best birth control method. Hysterectomy is the best birth control method. When a woman has no womb anymore (and probably no ovaries, like radical hysterectomy), she cannot conceive a child. We can say its failure rate is 0%. After hysterectomy, the birth control arm implant is the best birth control method, its failure rate is extremely low. When perfectly used, its failure rate is only 0.05%, which means that out of 2000 women, only one gets pregnant. The average user has exactly the same result, 0, 05%. You cannot do anything wrong with a birth control arm implant, since it is the gynecologist’s task to insert the device under your skin. Unlike hysterectomy, it is one of the reversible contraception options.

Whenever you need new medications – from flu to cardiovascular issues –, you should inform your doctor that you have a birth control arm implant. Some medicines make your birth control arm implant less effective. If you take TB medicines, oral medicines against yeast, HIV medicines, anti-seizure medicines, medicines of mental disorders, ask your gynecologist about other contraception options. Even some natural remedies like St. John’s wort can interfere with the effectiveness of the birth control arm implant.

Side-Effects of a Birth Control Arm Implant

Every medicine has side-effects, too. Do not use a birth control arm implant if you are expecting a child or if you have breast cancer. Go for other contraception options.

It may happen – in rare cases – that you experience heavier bleeding than before, and your period may take a longer while. You may bleed between two periods. Your sex drive may ebb. You may experience headache, dizziness, sensitive or aching breasts. Serious side-effects may include lumps in your breasts, yellowing of your skin, heavy bleeding. The birth control arm implant may change its location beneath your skin. If it gets too deep in your flesh, it has to be surgically removed.

Benefits of a Birth Control Implant

It is very effective. It is amongst the best birth control methods. It is reversible: once you stop using it, you can get pregnant in a short while. You can use a birth control arm implant even if you cannot take estrogen. A birth control arm implant is very convenient: you do not have to take pills every day, there is no fuss. Once your doctor has inserted it beneath your skin, you do not have to bother with it anymore for three years. It is safe to use, even if you breastfeed a small child. During your period, you will bleed less, and periods will be scarce because of the hormones released in your body. After a year of using the birth control arm implant, you may stop menstruating. Since menstruation is unpleasant for women, most of them are glad to get rid of it.

What If You Want to Remove Birth Control Arm Implant

A doctor can remove a birth control arm implant within a few minutes, it takes just one cut. However, the process is a bit slower than inserting it.

Costs of a Birth Control Arm Implant

A birth control arm implant may come for free. In other cases, it can be worth USD 800. Removal costs are also free under certain circumstances. In other cases, it may cost USD 300.

Planned Parenthood wants to make the birth control arm implant available and affordable for anyone who wants to choose the best birth control methods.