“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” -George Bernard Shaw

When life gets busy or complicated, it can be easy to get distracted and suddenly find yourself in a situation you are not prepared for. Not using protection when you have sex, shouldn’t be one of those situations. Failing to use protection during any sexual experience can lead to many life altering effects down the road. Likely, we don’t think about this in the heat of the moment.

A research study conducted in Northern California showed that many young women ages 15-24 have trouble using condoms and hormonal birth control at the same time. The study followed 1,000 young women who started a new method of hormonal birth control. When they started the study, 36% of the women used condoms regularly for protection, and 5% used both condoms and birth control for dual protection.

At first, starting a new method of birth control inspired these young women to double up, but over the months, the women stopped using condoms, stopped their other birth control, or stopped both. After a year, the majority were still worried about getting pregnant or getting an STI, but weren’t using condoms or birth control.

The risks speak for themselves: women ages 15-24 have about a 1 in 3 chance of contracting a common STI, like chlamydia or gonorrhea; young women have a 1 in 20 chance of getting pregnant from having sex at any time in the menstrual cycle and 1 in 4 chance around the time of ovulation.

Future is female and it is only natural that advancements in the marketplace centered around protection reach it’s 2.0 status. So what can you do? Fortunately there are advancements in protection options and tools to double your odds and stay disease-free. Here are some advancements coming down the pipeline that could help protect your health.

First, let’s talk about condoms. Condoms are an obvious choice in any sexual situation especially with a new partner. However, most of the condoms on the market are for men’s penises. If your partner doesn’t like using them, find out why, but we have a nice alternative if you are open to it.

Introducing  …  internal condom

An internal condom is a hormone-free, chemical-free, and latex-free like condom made of ultra-thin material. It acts like a second skin that lines the vaginal or anal canal. An internal condom is a pleasurable protector worn on the inside and it transfers heat for greater sensation. Free from interruption, you can put it in up to 8 hours before needing it.

An internal condom enables women especially to be in control of their pleasure and protection during sex. It is as effective as condoms for contraception and provides greater protection against STI/STDs. One CE and FDA approved product made by The Female Health Company called FC2. The internal condom opens up the option for people to take advantage of better intimacy with protection.

It is important to talk about condoms with your partner, with your friends, with anyone who will listen. If regular condoms seem to be an issue, than internal condom might be a better alternative as most have harmful chemicals on them that can increase irritations.

Try different condom methods until you find one that works best for your body and your lifestyle. Even in committed relationships where you both may promise to be only with each other right now, some infections take time to show up. This means an infection from the past could show up well into your relationship, even if you are both faithful. Using condoms every time you have sex is the only way to reduce your chance of infection.

Evofem Biosciences is working on some exciting projects that can revolutionize our health. Evofem exists to advance the lives of women and centers around putting each woman in control of her sexual and reproductive health by providing innovative solutions.

A new multi-purpose prevention technology product in development is currently research clinical trial phase. On the list of products in development is antimicrobial drug to help eliminate the risk of STI/STDs before exposure, product to prevent the reoccurrence of Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), and hormone-free contraception. Check out this new research study and see if you might be a good candidate to volunteer. Be sure to also read about why these projects are so important.

The hormone-free birth control Amphora has been designed as a contraceptive with unique attributes to fit a woman’s needs. Finding a birth control method that is right for you can be tricky. There are many pills, patches, rings, and options on the market.

Costs can vary for these options and at times dictate your choices. Starting any hormonal or long-acting birth control method can help prevent pregnancy, but you or your partner can still get an infection. Keep using condoms until products like Evofem‘s antimicrobial drugs can come on the market.

Especially don’t stop using condoms just because you started birth control. Unless you’ve been in a monogamous relationship for more than six months and both been tested and cleared for STIs, keep up with the condoms. Regardless, if you ever stop using your birth control, always start using condoms immediately and every time you have sex to prevent pregnancy until you find a better method.

The bottom line? Double up! Get STI/STD tested regularly, use condoms or femdoms, and use birth control methods to take charge of your reproductive health.

In the meantime, there are home-testing methods on the market like MyLab Box. Initially, paying for tests cash out-of-pocket probably doesn’t seem very enticing. However, if you consider the cost difference between paying with insurance verses testing from home without insurance, you may change your mind. Check out this article discussing the pros and cons. If you want to order your testing kit today, use offer code “EGGCLUB” for a discount at check out.

Don’t have time to test, but know you have been in a sticky situation? We all mess up from time to time, but try to learn from these mistakes and take action to improve your behavior and choices to avoid similar risky behavior in the future. With Valentine’s Day coming up and the 50 Shades of Grey movie film out, read this PSA on how to protect yourself even more.