10 Fun, Freaky, Fabulous Facts About Condoms

As the nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood works every day to reduce the number of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies and to keep people healthy. In conjunction with Valentine’s Day and National Condom Week (February 14-21), let’s take a look at some FACTS ABOUT CONDOMS AND CONDOMS USE. Some are mind-blowing, some are straight to the point. Enjoy and be safe!  

Recursos en Español con más infomación sobre los condones al final.

1. Condoms can actually HELP your sex life!
Contrary to popular belief that condoms do nothing for your mojo, people who use condoms rate their sexual experiences just as pleasurable as people who don’t.

2. Easy peasy!
Unlike other forms of birth control, you don’t need a prescription to get condoms. They’re one of the most accessible and affordable types of birth control.

3. All the single ladies…
According to a 2008 study by the Guttmacher Institute, only 19% of single women aged 20 to 44 always use condoms. What’s up with that, ladies? Protect yourself!

4. Yabba Dabba Doo!
The earliest known illustration of someone using a condom is a 12,000+ year old cave painting. Guess we missed that episode of The Flintstones!

5. Silent but violent
Most people who have an STD don’t even realize it, since many STDs cause no immediate symptoms. For example, 75% of women and 50% of men with chlamydia have no symptoms.

6. Variety is the spice of life
There are plenty of different kinds of condoms out there. (non-latex, FC2 female condoms, flavored, colored, ribbed, etc.). Wonder if there are any red hot cinnamon-flavored ones for Valentine’s Day?

7. Dynamic duo
Even if you’re using another method of birth control, you may be at risk of getting an STD. Condoms+birth control = the best way to prevent both pregnancy and STDs. So put one on before you get it on!

8. HIV fighter
When it comes to HIV, using a condom makes sex 10,000 TIMES SAFER than not using one.

9. Don’t worry, be happy. Very happy.
Condoms are a good way to feel more relaxed about your sex life. Many people say they find sex more enjoyable when they use condoms because they aren’t worrying about STDs or unintended pregnancy.

10. COMMUNICATE!
Yeah, we know talking about safe sex with your partner can be hard. But it’s important to communicate. Develop a plan and practice what you will say to your partner. Don’t be shy about communicating your needs and feelings. Send a message that condom use is essential every single time you have sex. A partner who respects you, respects your health, and their health as well.

New to condom use or need a refresher, check out the videos below.

• How to Use a Condom in English
• Cómo Usar Un Condón
• Planned Parenthood: Condoms in English 
• Planned Parenthood: Condones
• The Female Condom in English
• Condón Femenino

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This post was created by Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL). PPIL provides comprehensive reproductive healthcare services and education to more than 60,000 Illinoisans each year. Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of PPIL.

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More on the WHO/Guttmacher Report

The Chicago Tribune headline says it all:

Abortion rate same, legal or not

Having attended many a rally, meeting, workshop, and symposium on abortion and reproductive justice, I have heard many women and men repeat the line that women have been having abortions since women could get pregnant. I have been at events where women talk about having pre-Roe abortions, the fear of not knowing where they were going, where their best friend was going, or if their money would make it to Mexico.

The WHO/Guttmacher report firmly shows that no matter what, if a woman does not want to be pregnant, she will try anything to not be pregnant. Some will succeed, some will fail, and some will die trying.

The report shows that women living in countries where abortion is illegal STILL have them. The difference? Many of those abortions are in unsafe conditions. To think that only single, childless woman have abortions is to be ignorant of the situation. Women with children have abortions. They realize that they cannot feed one more mouth, that they are not healthy enough to carry a pregnancy to term, or that their lives are too dangerous to have a baby. When women die, families suffer. Not just the woman, the children she left behind, the elders she cares for, and perhaps the entire community if she plays a vital role.

So if we're going to have them, shouldn't they be safe?

Technorati tags: abortion, Planned Parenthood, international, women's health

Abortion rates decline around the world

And what's the secret?

BIRTH CONTROL!

According to a new report out this week, "the number of induced abortions worldwide declined from nearly 46 million to under 42 million between 1995 and 2003." The Guttmacher Institute and World Health Organization report reveals:

For every 1,000 women of childbearing age (15–44) worldwide, 29 were estimated to have had an induced abortion in 2003, compared with 35 in 1995. The decline was most substantial in Europe, where the rate fell from 48 to 28 abortions per 1,000 women, largely because of dramatic declines in Eastern Europe. On the whole, the abortion rate decreased more in developed countries, where abortion is generally safe and legal on broad grounds (from 39 to 26), than in developing countries, where the procedure is largely illegal and unsafe (from 34 to 29). Significantly, the abortion rate for 2003 was roughly equal in developed and developing regions—26 and 29, respectively—despite abortion being largely illegal in developing regions. Health consequences, however, vary greatly between the two regions, since abortion is generally safe where it is broadly legal and mostly unsafe where restricted. (emphasis mine)

The bad news is that unsafe abortions are still happening around the world and in countries where abortion is illegal at a rate that is astronomically higher than where abortion is legal:

The study also found that an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions occurred in 2003, 97% of these in developing regions. The prevalence of unsafe abortion remains high, with up to 39 unsafe abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in Eastern Africa and 33 per 1,000 in South America. By contrast, developed regions, where almost all countries allow abortions with few restrictions, had an average unsafe abortion rate of two per 1,000. (emphasis mine)

Many progressives don't like the phrase "safe, legal, and rare" but this report seems to show that increasing access to birth control does make abortion rarer and by making abortion legal makes it safer. If that's what that phrase means, then I'm all for it.

Technorati tags: abortion, Planned Parenthood, international, women's health, , birth control