In our generation, we women talk about body autonomy, we have the right to decide who we want to have sex with, and whether we want to get an abortion. Because our bodies are our own. Nobody gets to decide it for us even our family or partner.
But we need to be smart. Even though we already used protection, there are still some unexpected factors that could happen. Of course, we know we must use condoms but what if condoms broke? This happened to a friend of mine, and she told me the story of her freaking out because it was in the middle of the night at 3 am, and she can’t go to Boots to get the morning after pill, she can only wait until the next morning, the earliest boots open at 8 am. In those five hours, she couldn’t stop thinking if she is already pregnant? She said she knows it takes time to get pregnant, but just couldn’t stop thinking. Eventually, she took the pill, and her period also came! But even then, she had to wait a couple of weeks to take a pregnancy test just to be sure like the counsellor said.
When she was in counselling, the counsellor offered her some advice to help prevent another panic like this. The counsellor said even if the condom does not split, there are still possibilities to get pregnant since condoms are only 98% effective.
Even though we already used protection, there are still some unexpected factors that could happen
According to the NHS, "the contraceptive patch is a small sticky patch that releases hormones into your body through your skin to prevent pregnancy. The patch releases a daily dose of hormones through the skin into the bloodstream to prevent pregnancy. When used correctly, the patch is more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy."
One of my other friends has used this for months. And she told me now her period comes every 30 days, even more accurate than when she didn’t use the patch. But now she can enjoy sex more than before without the pregnancy concerns.
Intrauterine device (IUD):
"An IUD is a small T-shaped plastic and copper device that's put into your womb (uterus) by a doctor or nurse. It releases copper to stop you from getting pregnant and protects against pregnancy for between 5 and 10 years. It's sometimes called a "coil" or "copper coil". When inserted correctly, IUDs are more than 99% effective." according to the NHS
The contraception information can be acquired in the NUSU, Welfare & Support Centre in the Support & Advice Hub (Ground Floor at the Students' Union).
If you are starting a relationship with your partner, it’s no harm to ask your partner to do an STI test before you have sex with them. It’s not weird, this is you being responsible for your body and your partner’s body, and we are smart women who love and take care of our bodies. After you have done all that you can do to protect your body, you can 100% enjoy the pleasure of safe sex!