INTRODUCTION
Firstly congratulations are in order because you are turning into a man. Your shoulders are filling out, your voice is getting deeper and soon you will have transformed from the boy you once were into a real man. But with great change comes great responsibility, and this is where a lot of guys in your situation are mistaken, going through puberty does not make you a man. It’s part of it, but it’s definitely not the whole process, being a real man means taking responsibility for yourself, your actions and how they affect others around you, and, especially at your age, a large part of this relates to sex so read on and find out what you can do to truly call yourself a man.
YOUR OPTIONS
One of the first stages of being a responsible man is making the right choices. A simple way of avoiding having to make difficult decisions further down the line is to make smart choices before they happen and as you become sexually active contraception is a big part of this. A big mistake is to think that because you can’t get pregnant yourself that means it’s not your responsibility, but that definitely is not the case. Actually be aware that you may cause pregnancy at any time you have unprotected sex.
CONTRACEPTION, IT’S NOT JUST FOR GIRLS
An unplanned pregnancy would definitely affect your life just as much as the girl you got pregnant in more other ways than you’ve probably thought about. Having a baby can be one of the most rewarding things you will ever do but it will give you a lot of extra responsibility and affect you emotionally, financially and socially. You may need to start work sooner or have less time to spend with friends and to do the things that you really want to be doing. It's life-changing, that’s for sure.
You can still also get Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and pass them on if you don’t protect yourself, and these are no laughing matter either. Being open and honest with your partner about contraception is the smart way to prevent a whole lot of difficulties in the future. Sex is meant to be fun, so take the time to make sure you’re doing it safely and responsibly and stop it from turning into a nightmare overnight.
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
Sexually Transmitted Infections, or STIs, are bad news. Some are curable, some aren’t, but the things they have in common are that you don’t want them and you are putting yourself at risk of getting them if you don’t take proper steps to protect yourself when having sex. Taking the risk isn’t worth it, regardless of what anyone says, a short time of pleasure won’t be worth it if you end up ruining your health or your entire future by infecting yourself. It’s not macho to not use protection, it’s more like Russian roulette and everybody loses at that game sooner or later so protect yourself.
PROTECT YOURSELF
You might count yourself lucky to be a guy, no periods, cramps or mood swings to suffer through, and no chance of getting pregnant yourself but there are a few things you might not have thought of. Protecting yourself when having sex, as a man, leaves you two options.
Firstly, to protect yourself against STIs there is the condom, not wearing one leaves you open to catching anything your partner may have, so you should make sure you’re always wearing on when you do it.
Secondly, when it comes to getting your partner pregnant, the only thing you can do is either wear a condom, get a vasectomy, or trust them when they say they are using another form of contraception and that they are doing so properly and responsibly. This is the reason that when you have sex you should be prepared, and open.
TALK ABOUT IT
Talk openly to your partner, make sure your plans match, make sure you’re both effectively protected and be responsible. Sex is a lot more fun when you can trust, relax and enjoy it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A tampon is not a means of a contraceptive method and does not protect against pregnancy. Sperm have a goal and they will find a way round.
Withdrawal is also called coitus interruptus or the "pull out method" and it requires great self-control, experience, and trust, and as such, it is pretty unreliable. It works, some of the time, by taking the penis out of the vagina before you ejaculate, limiting the chances of any sperm reaching the egg. With each ejaculation you are releasing up to 400 Million sperms. However, not all sperm are released at climax, some are a little more eager than that and can survive inside a woman`s uterus for up to five days, so even though you don’t finish off, you could still finish up making her pregnant.
HIV cannot be transmitted through casual contact. This includes closed mouth kissing, hugging, shaking hands, and sharing food, clothing, or toilet seats. The virus cannot survive long outside of the human body. Mosquitoes cannot transmit HIV, either.
Withdrawal is also called coitus interruptus or the "pull out method" and it requires great self-control, experience, and trust, and as such, it is pretty unreliable. It works, some of the time, by taking the penis out of the vagina before you ejaculate, limiting the chances of any sperm reaching the egg. With each ejaculation you are releasing up to 400 Million sperms. However, not all sperm are released at climax, some are a little more eager than that and can survive inside a woman`s uterus for up to five days, so even though you don’t finish off, you could still finish up making her pregnant.
No not all, however it is far better to bathe and make sure that anything with ejaculate on it does not get near the vagina within one to six hours, their known lifespan outside the body.
