“Let’s talk about sex baby, let’s talk about you and me,” are familiar lyrics to a 90’s rap song by Salt n Pepper. However, they used this as message to get teens in their target audience to wake up and take account of the sexual issues facing that generation.

Sexual responsibility is still an uphill battle, and it is a personal decision. You have to take into account many things before getting your freak on- so to speak- with that person you have been eyeing when you go to the bar on Friday nights. For women you need to think,’ Do I really want to have sex with this guy?” “How many others has he slept with and I wonder if he has any sexually transmitted disease?”

For men it is much the same thing except they have to think about to condom or not to condom as they face the possibility of sexually transmitted disease, possible unwanted pregnancy, premature ejaculation issues, and even alcohol induced impotence if they have been drinking too much. Yes I grudgingly admit that I have been with too many guys who have thought it was cool to get plastered before we had sex and then when it came time to perform they didn’t make their curtain call.

Then of course there is the whole other matter to decide upon, what form of birth control do I use? First let’s take into account effectiveness of birth control. There are two types of effectiveness, one- theoretical: meaning how it works under perfect laboratory conditions and two- user: how well it actually works with independent usage.

In most cases contraception is used to plan family size, prevent unwanted pregnancy, especially among teens and to stop the spread if sexually transmitted disease including HIV and AIDS. In Kansas teen pregnancies cost the state $345 million a year; in the United States we have the highest rate among industrialized countries with Japan and England being among the least. In regards to sexually transmitted disease, HIV and AIDS there is a combined total of 12 million new reports each year.

There are many factors to consider when deciding on birth control

1. Effectiveness- will it almost guarantee me that I won’t get pregnant
2. Protection from STD’s- not all methods protect from disease
3. Privacy- don’t want partner to know or are too embarrassed
4. Easy to Use- not a lot of bother, something every day or each time
5. Cost
6. Side Effects
7. Will my partner help- can you talk to them about sex and birth control comfortably
8. What might work- such as abstinence, sterilization, barrier, hormonal, and individual fertility awareness, some of these may work some may not

Some forms of contraception include

1. Vasectomy
2. Withdrawal
3. Male Condom
4. Female Condom
5. Cervical Cap
6. Spermicidal Creams
7. Oral Contraceptives
8. IUD
9. Norplant
10. Diaphragm
11. Tubal Legation
12. “Outer” Course
13. Depo Provera
14. Basal Body Temperature
15. Cervical Mucous
16. Calendar aka Rhythm

You see there is a lot to consider when having sex it is a huge responsibility one that most take for granted and end up taking on things they wish they hadn’t. Conversely from my own experience I had been on birth control and decided to get off of it here about six years ago because I didn’t think I could get pregnant with one ovary and three to six month later I was told I was having a boy. He has been the blessing of my life make no mistake about that. So please be careful out there when you want to make that next hook up and make sure that person is really going to be worth taking the extra time to condom or not to condom, to sponge or not to sponge.