Teens: Preventing STDs : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

Condoms are available in almost all drugstores, many supermarkets, and other stores. They are also available from vending machines. When purchasing condoms from vending machines, as from any source, be sure they are latex, labeled for disease prevention, and are not past their expiration date. Don't buy a condom from a vending machine located where it may be exposed to extreme heat or cold or to direct sunlight.

How to Use a Condom

Use a new condom for every act of vaginal, anal and oral (penis-mouth contact) sex. Do not unroll the condom before placing it on the penis.

Put the condom on after the penis is erect and before any contact is made between the penis and any part of the partner's body.

If the condom does not have a reservoir top, pinch the tip enough to leave a half-inch space for semen to collect. Always make sure to eliminate any air in the tip to help keep the condom from breaking.

Holding the condom rim (and pinching a half inch space if necessary), place the condom on the top of the penis. Then, continuing to hold it by the rim, unroll it all the way to the base of the penis. If you are also using water-based lubricant, you can put more on the outside of the condom.

If you feel the condom break, stop immediately, withdraw, and put on a new condom.

After ejaculation and before the penis gets soft, grip the rim of the condom and carefully withdraw.

To remove the condom, gently pull it off the penis, being careful that semen doesn't spill out.

Wrap the condom in a tissue and throw it in the trash where others won't handle it. (Don't flush condoms down the toilet because they may cause sewer problems.) Afterwards, wash your hands with soap and water.

Latex condoms are the only form of contraception now available that human studies have shown to be highly effective in protecting against the transmission of HIV and other STDs. They give good disease protection for vaginal sex and should also reduce the risk of disease transmission in oral and anal sex. But latex condoms may not be 100 percent effective, and a lot depends on knowing the right way to buy, store and use them.

New Information on Labels

Information about whether a birth control product also helps protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV infection, is emphasized on the labeling of these products, because a product that is highly effective in preventing pregnancy will not necessarily protect against sexually transmitted diseases.

Labels on birth control pills, implants such as Norplant, injectable contraceptives such as Depo-Provera, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and natural skin condoms will state that the products are intended to prevent pregnancy and do not protect against STDs, including HIV infection (which leads to AIDS). Labeling of natural skin condoms will also state that consumers should use a latex condom to help reduce risk of many STDs, including HIV infection.

Laboratory tests show that organisms as small as sperm and the HIV virus cannot pass through polyurethane condom. But the risks of STDs, including HIV infection, have not been well studied in actual use with polyurethane condoms. So unless one or both partners is allergic to latex, latex condoms should be used.

Labeling for latex condoms states that if used properly, latex condoms help reduce risk of HIV transmission and many other STDs. This statement, a modification from previous labeling, now appears on individual condom wrappers, on the box, and in consumer information.

Besides highlighting statements concerning sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS on the consumer packaging, manufacturers will add a similar statement to patient and physician leaflets provided with the products.

FDA may take action against any products that don't carry the new information.

FDA is currently reviewing whether similar action is necessary for the labeling of spermicide, cervical caps, and diaphragms.

Looking at a Condom Label

Like other drugs and medical devices, FDA requires condom packages to contain certain labeling information. When buying condoms, look on the package label to make sure the condoms are:

• made of latex
• labeled for disease prevention
• not past their expiration date (EXP followed by the date).

STD Facts

Sexually transmitted diseases affect more than 12 million Americans each year, many of whom are teenagers or young adults.

Using drugs and alcohol increases your chances of getting STDs because these substances can interfere with your judgment and your ability to use a condom properly.

Intravenous drug use puts a person at higher risk for HIV and hepatitis B because IV drug users usually share needles.

The more partners you have, the higher your chance of being exposed to HIV or other STDs. This is because it is difficult to know whether a person is infected, or has had sex with people who are more likely to be infected due to intravenous drug use or other risk factors.

Sometimes, early in infection, there may be no symptoms, or symptoms may be confused with other illnesses.

You cannot tell by looking at someone whether he or she is infected with HIV or another STD.

STDs can cause:

• pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can damage a woman's fallopian tubes and result in pelvic pain and sterility
• tubal pregnancies (where the fetus grows in the fallopian tube instead of the womb), sometimes fatal to the mother and always fatal to the fetus
• cancer of the cervix in women
• sterility — the inability to have children — in both men and women
• damage to major organs, such as the heart, kidney and brain, if STDs go untreated
• death, especially with HIV infection.

See a doctor if you have any of these STD symptoms:

• discharge from vagina, penis or rectum
• pain or burning during urination or intercourse
• pain in the abdomen (women), testicles (men), or buttocks and legs (both)
• blisters, open sores, warts, rash, or swelling in the genital or anal areas or mouth
• persistent flu-like symptoms — including fever, headache, aching muscles, or swollen glands — which may precede STD symptoms.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.