Being a partnered in the real world is a responsible
commitment that brings forward many issues that must be explored and decided
upon jointly. But this is not just not a partnered issue it is a “are you
sexually active” issue. In the biological part of the relationship there must
be a shared responsibility with the concern of pregnancy. The old school of
thought that the woman can just get on oral birth-control medication is just
that, an old-school thought. With evidence that there are long-term problems
with hormone binding, and that there are a list of possible side effects that
come with oral contraception for women, this options seems to be more “man
friendly” than otherwise.
If you are in childbearing years, and are sexually active,
there needs to be several important considerations before
sex. There are sexually transmitted infections/diseases, and pregnancy to
consider. What are the practical solutions before the room gets entirely too
hot to handle?
Sixty-three percent of
women who practice contraception use nonpermanent methods, primarily hormonal
methods (the pill, patch, implant, injectable and vaginal ring), the IUD and
condoms. The rest rely on female or male sterilization (Mosher & Jones,
2010).
There continues to be a
need for pro-active decision making with contraception and a very important
two-way street when it comes to the practice of this. The need to discuss and have a plan in place
should be at the top of every sexually active partnership for the prevention of
unwanted pregnancies, and for the aid in prevention of sexually transmitted
infections or diseases with those who do not have a regular and trusted
partner.
Reference
Mosher WD and Jones
J, Use of contraception in the United States: 1982–2008, Vital and
Health Statistics, 2010, Series 23, No. 29, <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_029.pdf>, accessed June 25, 2012.
Retrtieved from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contr_use.html
