Practise Safe Sex: Use A Condom

Each year alone there are millions of unwanted pregnancies all over the world, not only that but there is a huge increase of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. The only way that this can be prevented is through the practise of safe sex. There are many different forms of contraception available today, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Here in this article we shall look at some of the main contraceptives and how effective they are if used correctly.

The male condom is one of the most effective ways to prevent both pregnancies and STD infections, if used correctly the male condom is 98 percent effective. The advantages are that they have no side effects; they only need to be used when you want to have sex, and they are easily available and come in many shape and sizes to suit every individual. The disadvantages are they can sometimes slip off or split if they aren't used correctly and some people find putting them on can interrupt sex. They can be found free from family planning clinics and they can be brought online.

The female condom is much like the male condom in terms of advantages and disadvantages but has a slightly less effective rate of 95 percent. These are not as widely available as the male condom and some people claim that condoms reduce the rate of sensitivity during sex. Condoms can usually be purchased in chemists, vending machines and supermarkets.

Another reliable form of contraception is the pill, of which there are two main types, the combined pill and the mini pill. One of which contains two hormones and the other which contains just one, when taken correctly the pill is 99 percent effective but the mini pill is marginally less effective than the combined. Advantages are that the pill can make some women's periods lighter and less painful and can protect against cancer of the ovary and cancer of the womb. The disadvantages is that the pill has to be taken 21 days of the 28 day cycle, can increase blood pressure and effectiveness can be reduced by sickness or antibiotics. The pill does not protect against STD's.

There are many other forms of contraception other than these three methods, including the contraception implant and injection. All of these methods including the pill need to be made available from a GP or family planning clinic, they also offer no protection from STI's and have different effects on individual's bodies. The best contraceptive that protects against STD's and pregnancy is the condom and to be extra safe can be used with the other methods.