1. Avoid mixing drugs and alcohol with sex. Your safe sex practices can be defeated and less effective if you're not in your right mind, and you also put yourself at risk of making poor decisions.
2. Get tested regularly. Go to your doctor or a free clinic regularly to get screened for HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections or diseases. Get tested together before entering into a new relationship, and get tested regularly while you're in relationships, to be on the safe side.
3. Take birth control pills. This is the most common type of hormonal birth control and is taken orally every day. When taken correctly and regularly, hormonal birth control is 99% effective. If you're interested in hormonal birth control, talk to your gynecologist about a prescription.
4. Always take time to talk with your parters before and after sex. Each time you enter into a new sexual relationship, take time to talk to your partner before having sex. Be honest about your own sexual experiences and your own desire to practice safe sex. If your partner doesn't want to practice safe sex, don't have sex with them!
5. Try and avoid hook-ups and one-night-stands with people, especially people you don't know and won't have contact with. Choose sexual partners smartly to avoid risks, and avoid sex with anyone who doesn't practice safely.
6. Learn to recognize the symptoms of sexual transmitted diseases and infections, and pay attention to your body if you're sexually active. Men should have regular examinations by a doctor, aside from regular tests. Make sure you're always in good health. Girls should schedule regular check-ups with their gynecologists, especially if taking hormonal birth control.
7. Use a condom. - For men.. you should put the condom on as soon as your penis becomes erect. Putting the condom on early will reduce the risk of passing on any diseases that are spread from skin-to- skin as well as the risk of forgetting to put one on later when you are swept away by the heat of a moment. **hehe.. - It is very important to leave enough room at the tip of the condom for the person wearing it to ejaculate. Failure to leave room can increase the risk of condom breakage. Make sure that there is no air trapped in the tip of the condom when you first put the condom on.
- After you have ejaculated, make sure to hold the base of the condom as you are withdrawing your penis from your partner's body. This prevents the condom from slipping away.
- Always check the expiration date of the condom before you open the packet. You should also make sure that the condom package is intact by checking for the air bubble.
WARNING: Don't ever use a female and male condom at the same time. It can cause friction that will tear one or both of the condoms, making them ineffective.
