Sexual Responsibility: Sexual Mishaps

Sexual Mishaps

Broken Condom
If a condom breaks or slips off, stop sexual activity immediately. Spermicidal jelly or foam should be used immediately by the female partner to kill sperm cells. Do not douche! In either case, use a new condom before resuming sexual activity. If ejaculation occurred prior to the condom breakage, you might want to consider the morning-after pill.

Skipped Birth Control Pill
Check with your health care practitioner before taking any of the following actions. Birth control pills vary in dosage and actions can vary depending upon the pill. Here are some rule of thumb actions, if you forget to take a pill, you should take one as soon as you remember; if you forget to take two pills in a row, take two as soon as you remember and two more the next day. Use a backup method of birth control for the rest of your cycle.

Unprotected Sex
If you have been involved in risky sexual practices, you may suspect you are at risk for an STD. Make an appointment to see a health practitioner for testing as soon as possible. The sooner a STD is treated, the easier it is to cure or treat; the less chance it will cause other health problems; the less time you have to stress, worry and wonder about it; and the less likely you will be to infect someone else. In the time between making and having the appointment, avoid touching the areas involved--both sexually and non-sexually. As difficult as it may be, resist the temptation to inspect, pick, squeeze or scratch. Do not douche or use any medication, ointments or creams unless specifically recommended by your doctor, because these can cause false-negative test results.