Five Tips to Keep Your Sexual Health in Tip-Top Shape

Happy World Sexual Health Day, everybody! We hope you are celebrating happily, safely, and orgasmically. Here are five tips for getting it on while remaining healthy and happy.

Pee after you have sex. Every. Time.

Here’s the deal, if you have a vagina and you have penetrative sex, then you are prone to getting bacteria in places you don’t want it. This bacteria can come from outside sources and can also come from your tush, and let me tell you, you do not want fecal matter near your urethra.

Peeing after sex flushes out your urethra and helps you avoid getting urinary tract infections

(which are annoyingly painful, but easily curable with antibiotics).

Use protection! Even if you’re queer!

There are a few reasons to use barrier protection, such as condoms and dental dams. Condoms are best known for preventing unwanted pregnancy, but are also used to protect against sexually-transmitted infections. Also, both condoms and dental dams help keep that UTI-causing bacteria out of your urethra. It is especially important to note, that if you are going between two penetrative acts, you NEED to switch condoms in order to protect the body from bacteria transmission. Condoms may not be the sexiest, but they are crucial for protection. And now you or your partner can no longer use the excuse that they don’t fit! Thanks to myONE condoms, there is now a condom to fit all sizes and shapes.

STIs are not the end of the world.

Even the most careful of people make mistakes. And here’s the thing, STIs aren’t the end of the world. They just aren’t. Many common sexually-transmitted infections (such as gonorrhea and chlamydia) can be cured with simple antibiotics and those that can’t (such as herpes) are still treatable. Not to mention, your sex life won’t end. Sex writer, Ella Dawson, has a great TED talk on why getting herpes won’t ruin your life--you can find that here.

Consent is required.

This is a short tip. Yes means yes. Nothing else means yes (except, you know, "Hell yeah! Please do that!", etc.). Silence does not mean yes. Only have sex with another human being if you are both aware, interested, and fully consenting.

Allow yourself to explore and allow yourself to stop.

There are a million things to explore--different positions, BDSM, etc. Allow yourself to fully explore your options and know when to stop. If you feel uncomfortable, feel empowered to say no. Many people come up with safe words (any word that is not remotely sexual, such as "pineapple" or "elephant") to signal to their partner(s) that they aren’t digging what they’re doing and they want to stop. Sex is fun! Allow yourself to have fun, but be ready to stop if you or your partner(s) need to.

So there you have it; may your sex life be fruitful and thrilling and, most importantly, healthy!

Photography by Spencer Kohn.
This blog post is presented by myONE condoms.