Sex. Most people talk about it, or at least think about it. Even thinking about not thinking about it is thinking about it. It’s a part of most people’s lives in one way or another. And done correctly, it can be a lot of fun. Over the years, there’s been a lot of attention paid to the biological aspects of sexual health. But little attention is focused on the other parts of sex. You know, the talking and flirting that come beforehand.
“People want to know about the nuts and bolts of sex, about STIs, etc., but I feel that what people really want to know about is relationships,” said Mary Gossart, vice president of education and training at Planned Parenthood@@http://www.noplacelikehome.org/about.php@@. “’When do I know I’m in love, or when do I have sex with this person, or what does that mean?’”
According to the National Center for Health Statistics@@http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/@@, the rate of pregnant teens giving birth for the year of 2001 in the U.S. is 45.3 per thousand for girls aged 15-19. The teen abortion rate is 25 per thousand. Compared to some western European countries such as Germany (with a birth rate of 12.5 per thousand, abortion rate at 3.6 per thousand) or France (birth rate at 10 per thousand, abortion rate at 10.2 per thousand) the U.S. is vastly outclassed.@@all info from a pamphlet Ben has@@
“The U.S. has the highest unintended teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized western world for a few reasons,” Gossart said. “They have freer low-cost access to sexual health services, they have comprehensive sex education and they have public policy that supports science-based approaches to sexual issues.”
Gossart has worked for Planned Parenthood for more than 30 years. She has seen a great deal of change in the area of sexual health, but a need for communication between partners has remained constant.
“A big part of communication is trust,” she said. “It has to be equitable. You have to have the other person’s interests at heart.”
In addition to understanding communication and relationships, it’s also important to understand STIs.
Planned Parenthood’s Vice President of Patient Services Marilyn Helton said, “20 to 25 years old is the highest risk population for STIs. I don’t think that many young people necessarily know (especially for women) that STIs can be silent and without symptoms. These can damage your reproductive health in the long term.”
HPV, also known as the Human Papillomavirus, can run silently in both men and women but can appear as genital warts. HPV can also be a prime factor in cervical cancer or less common, cancer of the vulva.
“We frequently recommend doubling up on protection,” Helton said. “If you’re taking a hormonal form of birth control, you should also consider using a condom.
Doubling up with condoms is a no-no, since “double-bagging it” can increase the amount of friction on the condoms and can result in the condom breaking.
Michelle Hyde-Wright@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=Michelle+Hyde-Wright@@ is a student member of the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team at the University. SWAT has presented workshops to many members of Greek life and other student groups about sex positivity and sexual assault.
“Part of our workshop is about healthy communication styles, both in relationships and with casual partners,” Hyde-Wright said. “One thing we emphasize is that the main element of consent is not just the absence of a no, but the presence of a yes. And this means talking to your partner.”
SWAT’s description of consent is that a “yes” is freely given when the option of a “no” is both present and viable. With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, SWAT’s mission is put into a sharper relief.
“The statistic we go by is that one in four traditionally aged college women will be survivors of a sexual assault or attempted assault, whereas one in 71 men are assaulted in their lifetime (mostly as children),” Hyde-Wright said.@@but does that include the fact that men are less likely to report it?@@ “But SWAT is also sex-positive. As long as it’s consensual and healthy, it’s OK.”