Sonora, California • Encouraging
Life Choices
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Sexual WholenessYou didn't get pregnant.
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I'm waiting
I’M COMMITTED TO GOOD HEALTH, EMOTIONAL STABILITY AND MY FUTURE SPOUSE. I’M WAITING UNTIL MARRIAGE TO HAVE SEX.
THE TRUTH ABOUT SEX
| Sex is a responsibility. |
| Sex is a risky activity. |
| If you don’t take responsibility for your own health, no one else will. CONSIDER YOUR FUTURE! |
Reasons to wait...
There are three reasons why you should consider waiting until marriage to have sex:
| FOR YOUR PHYSICAL HEALTH |
| FOR YOUR EMOTIONAL STABILITY |
| FOR YOUR RELATIONAL NEEDS |
We Provide CARE and SUPPORT for you and your decisions.
| Chlamydia: Common STD caused by bacteria. Spreads during vaginal, anal or oral sex. |
| HPV-Human papillomavirus: Causes genital warts. Some HPV viruses are “high-risk” types, which may lead to cancer of the cervix, vulva, vagina, anus or penis. |
| Herpes: Viral=no cure. Very infectious even when no sores are present. |
| HIV/AIDS: Leading cause of death in Americans ages 25-44. HIV tags along with blood or sexual secretions. It is an almost perfect killing machine. |
The Morning-After Pill or "Plan B" —
Within 72 hours of Conception
The morning-after pill is also known as “
emergency contraception”. It is eight times the strength of the birth control
pill. While the FDA has approved its use, there are no long-term studies to show
whether women will be permanently damaged, or risk diseases such as cancer, from
these chemicals given in such high doses.
How does it work?
There are three ways in which it works.
What are the side effects? Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, lower abdominal pain, fatigue, headache, breast tenderness and menstrual changes. Most common are nausea and vomiting.
What is a condom?
A condom is a thin, flexible covering that goes over the penis during sex. Most
condoms are made of natural latex (from rubber trees).
What are they used for?
Condoms are supposed to capture a guy's semen so it won't enter a girl's body.
And that's supposed to help prevent pregnancy and the spread of STDs (sexually
transmitted diseases).
Do they work?
Well, let's look at the facts. Obviously they don't work at all unless they're
used in the first place. And they don't protect very well if they are used
"inconsistently" or "incorrectly." In other words: you have
to use them every single time — with no exceptions and follow recommended
steps for correct usage.
Do most people use them consistently and correctly?
Studies vary in specifics but generally report bad news:
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Only about half of sexually active adolescents report using a condom the last time they had sex. |
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When given a basic list of procedures for correct condom use, less than half of sexually active adolescents report they use them correctly. |
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The more partners a person has, the less likely they are to use condoms (more partners means greater risk, too). |
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In a study of couples who knew their partner was HIV positive, only about half used condoms consistently. |
What if I use them most of the time?
You're at risk. In fact, the CDC says, "Used inconsistently (less than 100
percent of the time), condoms offer little more protection than when they are
not used at all." Good intentions won't protect you. About 15 percent of
couples who rely upon condoms to avoid pregnancy will still get pregnant within
the first year of use. And even if you do manage to use them consistently and
correctly, 2-4 percent of condoms leak, break or slip off. And you're not just
at risk for pregnancy.
Do condoms prevent all STDs?
An STD is a virus, bacteria or other small organism that can be acquired through
through sexual contact with someone who has the disease. Some have cures. Some
do not. Some are relatively harmless if treated. Some are deadly. Condoms do
reduce the risk but do not eliminate the risk of acquiring such STDs as HIV and
gonorrhea. They're even less effective at preventing genital herpes,
trichmoniasis and chlamydia. Plus, they offer no protection against HPV- one of
the most common STDs in America- which causes 90 percent of all cervical cancer.
So even if you use them right every time, you're still at risk for some STDs.
Should I trust my future to a condom?
You figure it out. Based on what you've learned, does it make any sense to trust
your life to a little latex? Condoms, when used consistently and correctly, help
reduce the rates of pregnancy and the spread of some STDs, but they don't
eliminate the risks. Sex is still risky, whether you use a condom or not. It's
your life. It's your future. It's your choice.
What's the Alternative?
In a word — abstinence. Your only safe choice is to save sex for
marriage. What fun is that? Well, for starters, you'll be free to pursue
your dreams without having to worry about pregnancies or STDs. You won't
have guilt, memories or excess baggage to bring to your marriage. And your honeymoon
will be a special evening for both of you. And if that's not enough, did
you know that studies show that married people report more satisfaction with
their sex lives than unmarried couples?
What If I've Already Had Sex?
It's never too late to start making smarter, healthier choices. You can't
change your past, but you can certainly shape you future. Make a new commitment
today and live it out.
Remember: Condoms don't make sex safe. Only abstinence works every time.
Is oral sex "safe sex"?
On this point, everyone agrees. Oral sex, like other methods of sex, carries
with it the risk of serious, untreatable and even life-threatening diseases in
both men and women. Oral sex has been found to spread syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV
(HIV causes AIDS), HPV, genital herpes, chlamydia and possibly hepatitis C.
Is oral sex really sex?
There is a common, growing idea among young teens that oral sex isn't
really sex. What they say is "real sex", or sexual intercourse, is
technically called "coitus" (or vaginal sex - the penetration of the
male genital into the female vagina). However, almost any dictionary also
contains the secondary definition for sexual intercourse: "intercourse
involving genital contact between individuals other than penetration of the
vagina by the penis." In other words, any genital contact is
"sex." Oral sex really is sex.
The Billings Method or the BOM is the most modern natural way to achieve or to avoid becoming pregnant.
It can be used by a woman in all stages of her reproductive life: regular, irregular cycling, breastfeeding, approaching menopause, recovering from emotional and physical stress or coming off contraceptive medication.
Whether she is poor, illiterate or blind she learns to recognize the fertile phase in her menstrual cycle when conception may occur so that she knows ahead of time when intimate sexual contact with her husband may or may not lead to pregnancy.
Fertility is signaled by the development of a particular type of mucus from the crypts of the cervix. Sperm live in the best type of mucus but without it they die within an hour or so. The mucus symptom, telling the woman she has begun her fertile phase, develops a few days prior to ovulation. The Peak day (the last day of the lubricative sensation) occurs very close to the time of ovulation. She is possibly fertile for a further three days and menstruation follows 11 - 16 days later.
A woman is not asked to do anything except pay attention to what she has already noticed just as she goes about her normal daily activities; keep a simple record and apply four common sense guidelines. The daily chart is very important in reminding her to pay attention to the changes in sensation at the vulva and the appearance of any discharge seen. It also gives valuable information to the couple so that they can make decisions about their joint fertility.
Clinical trials demonstrate how effective it is when avoiding pregnancy (better than 99%) while helping those couples labeled "low fertility" or on IVF lists to conceive a long awaited baby 80% of the time (Australian trial, 2006). The Billings chart gives valuable hormonal information to doctors and is increasingly used as a diagnostic tool in the treatment of infertility.
The Method was first called the Ovulation Method because ovulation is the important event in the cycle determining its length but in 1978 the World Health Organization added the name of the doctor/wife team who developed it 55 years ago.
To ensure that the authentic Billings Ovulation Method is learned using the required teaching materials it is important to find an accredited instructor near you. Internet instruction is available on the official WOOMB website.
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© Copyright Foothill Pregnancy Center 2007 |