Courtney Weaver provides useful information on different barrier methods to help keep students safe when engaging in sexual activity. She talks external condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, and more! To order free safer sex supplies from WELLWVU, please visit: https://well.wvu.edu/resources/sexual-health/condom-caravan

Hey, y'all welcome. Welcome. Welcome to Wellbeing Wednesdays. I am your host, Courtney Weaver. I'm also the director over at Well WVU here at West Virginia University. And once again, like the past several weeks, I'm all by my lonesome today. So again, we're going to continue our walk down this path of sexual health education.

So today we are going to talk about barrier methods of contraception, and so. If you've heard that word contraception before, it's really all about pregnancy prevention. Like that's what it means. And so officially when we're talking about barrier methods, we're saying that they work by preventing pregnancy because they block sperm from meeting.

But unofficially they're actually the only method of quote unquote birth control that protects against STS or sexually transmitted infections. And so these methods are used in places actually, where there is no risk for pregnancy at all, either. So cause talking about the word contraception in general.

Okay. Real heteronormative if you're not careful. So, one thing that I like to do is sort of lump the barrier methods with the other safer sex methods. So I like to focus on those more because young people are at such high risk for STI, and we know that folks are engaging in all types of sexual behavior with a whole wide spectrum of other folks.

So anything I can do to be more inclusive, that's what I try to. So why am I talking about this today? Well, I've been here for a couple of years and it's, it's really been brought to my attention that sometimes WVU students are often reluctant to use barrier methods when they engage in sexual activity.

And now this actually isn't a unique situation across university campuses like nationally. When we look at college students who reported that they engaged in oral vaginal or anal. And the last 30 days and reported using a condom or other protective barrier most of the time, or always the numbers are pretty low.

So for vaginal sex, 34.7% of college students reported that they used a condom or other protective barrier most of the time, or always for anal sex, it was 21.6%. And for oral sex, it was 4.6%. Now you might also be asking yourself, well, how many college students actually are having. So from the spring 2021 national college health assessment data, and this is the national data set.

We see that about 55% of college students report having engaged in some form of sexual intercourse over the last 12 months. So there are quite a few students who are engaging in sexual activity, but not all of them are using a condom or protective barrier when they get. Now when you look at like the breakdown of what kind of sex is happening, or else X is the most common form that college students seem to be engaged.

No. When we talk about oral sex, there's this myth that oral sex is safe sex. And that might be behind that those abysmal condom usage rates. And this myth is you guessed it a myth. So now it's true that for something like HIV, the risk of transmission during the. It's actually really low, but for other STS, that is not the case at all.

So HPV can infect the throat, head and neck. And so Ken syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes, and then pubic lies can also transfer from pubic hair to someone's eyebrows and eyelashes. And now according to the CDC or the centers for disease control and prevention, 50% of sexually active young adults will acquire an STI.

At least once by the time they reach the age of 20. So all of this. If you're choosing to be sexually active, it's a good idea to use a barrier method to protect yourself and your partner from STS. So what are the different barrier methods available? Well, the first one is probably the most common and the one you all are probably most familiar with, and those are external condoms.

You might call them condoms, male, condoms, extra and condoms, whatever. Basically when extra condoms. Consistently and correctly, they greatly reduce the risk of transmission of STI and HIV. Again, probably the barrier method that you are most familiar with. But I think it's also important to note that condom use cannot provide absolute protection against any STI, really any safer sex method is not some sort of absolute like magic shield.

The only thing that really will prevent 100% like no, no risk whatsoever. That's going to be abstinence. And the reason that condoms can't provide that absolute protection is because STS are transmitted in different ways. And one of those ways is skin to skin contact. And unless you're wearing, you know, full latex body suits, which maybe you are and no judgment.

But in last year, Chances are your skin's going to come into contact with your partners at some point. So external condoms are for use on a penis or a sex toy. And if you engage in oral sex on a penis, you can actually use a flavored condom. But as a quick side note you should never use a flavored condom for vaginal intercourse.

Flavored condoms, have sugar in their formula and sugar, and the vagina do not get along at all. So just keep flavored condoms for oral sex on the peanut. So when we talk about the effectiveness of using condoms, external condoms in particular, I actually don't have percentages when I'm talking about them and that's for a variety of reasons.

So anytime you hear talk about any form of contraception, whether that's the barrier methods, the family, natural family planning methods, or the hormonal methods, you'll hear two different effectiveness rates. And again, Also mostly just talking about preventing pregnancy, but you have something called perfect use and then you have something called typical use.

So, perfect use is when you are using the method 100% of the time and you are 100% correct in how you're using it. And then typical use is really more how often. Probably are using it. And there's lots to consider here when it comes to condoms, because a condom has to be the correct fit because it can't be too tight or too loose.

There's gotta be enough lubrication because actually one of the main reasons that a condom breaks is because it isn't lubricated. You have to make sure that no condom has surpassed their expiration date. Every barrier method has an expiration date. So whether we're talking external condoms, internal condoms, or dental dams, there's an expiration date that is clearly printed on the package.

So make sure it hasn't expired because then it's effectiveness is currently. And then you also have to think about like where it's stored, because condoms should be stored in a cool dry place. They should not be in your wallet particularly more than a few hours. That's a lot of heat and pressure.

So you want to keep that out of you. Another thing that can really affect the effectiveness of a condom is the different types of transmission that STS have. So not all STS are transmitted in the same way, like I've said multiple times before on this podcast. So some are transmitted through. And so those are the ones that actually condoms are really effective at reducing the risk of transmitting because it's really blocking the fluid from getting into contact with your partner.

So those STI are chlamydia gonorrhea, HIV and hepatitis B. And then, but then you have those STS that are transmitted from skin-to-skin contact. And so condoms aren't as effective at preventing their transmission. So that would include syphilis, which we focused on all last week. So if you want to listen to.

The whole 12 minutes about syphilis. I recommend you. You do. And that HPV is also transmitted from skin to skin. Contact has, is pubic, lice and herpes. Another thing to consider when thinking about the effectiveness of condoms is also the different types of sex that people have. Where these condoms. So whether that's oral sex, anal sex or vaginal sex.

So in addition to the different types of sex that people have, when they use condoms, there are also different materials that the condoms are made out of now, most condoms that you see. Generally available are going to be made out of latex, but there are some folks who are allergic to latex. So a few of the latex free options.

One of them is poly isoprene. That's actually a little bit stronger than latex. Oftentimes people like a non-latex condom because latex doesn't transfer body heat very well. And so. They want a more quote-unquote natural field. They go with a non-latex version, but there is another non-latex condom that's made out of lambskin.

You're not going to see a well WVU in our condom caravan. You're not going to see us offer lambskin condoms. The reason is while those types of condoms are effective at preventing pregnancy, they actually don't block fluids that transmit STI. So the material that they're made. Porous enough so that, that those illnesses can get through.

And so, and they're actually not made out of lambskin. They're made out of lamb SICAM, which is a large intestinal pouch. So those aren't, if you're looking for like a vegan condom, that is not what you want to use. Our next barrier method is something called an internal condom. You may know them by their brand name, which is the FC two.

You also might know them by the female condom, but we always call them internal condoms because they actually are designed to be inserted into the vagina or the anus. So as a quick note, if you use the condom for anal. It's recommended that you remove the inner ring that you will see on the inside of it.

It's made of like very flexible plastic. And that's just so that the condom doesn't get stuck in the anus. Sorry about being a little graphic there. But we just want to make sure that the condom doesn't get lost because the anus is a vacuum. So one good thing about the internal condom is that they're actually a non-latex condom.

They're made out of something called synthetic nitrile, and it is still a relatively new kind of thing, but it has been gaining in popularity. And I love talking about the internal condom, cause there's actually like so many advantages to using it. So a big one. From a safety perspective is that it actually covers more surface area.

So the outer ring of the condom actually covers the skin on the vulva and or around the anus, whichever body part you're using it on. So it provides a little more protection from STDs that are transmitted from skin-to-skin contact. I can also help with spot maybe because it can actually be inserted into the vagina up to eight hours ahead of time.

And like I said before, it's not like. And so it molds and feels a little bit more natural on the skin because it transfers body heat better than latex would you do not need to use an external condom at the same time. As a matter of fact, you should never ever under any circumstance and use two condoms, no matter what type they are together, one and done that is it.

Now you cannot go green with condoms. You really need to use a new one for each new sex act. But never use two at the same time. Another cool thing about the internal condom and it is, it can provide more pleasure. So the outer ring can stimulate the clitoris and the entering can stimulate the head of the penis.

And another awesome advantage is that it gives more control to the receptive partner because you're providing your own protection. And personally, Pretty red. So the one disadvantage of this condom is its availability because you can't actually purchase it over the counter anymore. You can get them from nonprofit organizations or buy a prescription through your healthcare provider, but guess what?

We have them well, the reviews. So you can order them through our condom caravan, which I'll talk about towards the end of the package. Our third barrier method is a dental dam. So a dental dam is used for oral sex on the Volvo or the anus. And usually it's just a sheet of latex that can be flavored.

Although if we're being honest, it's more of a scent than anything else, but they have non-flavored ones too. And it's really simple to use because basically you hold it in place on your partner's body, wherever you want to have a little fun. And then when you're done, you throw it out. And then since you have to hold it in.

Something like a little quick tip is that you might want to use a little bit of lubricant on your partner skin to help it stick a little. So dental dams, if you purchase them through like a store or something, they can actually be really expensive. So an alternative that you can use is actually named brand saran wrap, like, but it can only be the saran brand and you can buy that pretty much at any local grocery store or mega store.

And it's actually a little bit more economical because of boxes of Saran wrap only run you a couple bucks and a box of dental. Can be like 50 to a hundred dollars. So saran wrap could be the way to go. However, as WVU students, you can order dental dams for free through our condom care. So those are the big three barrier methods, but there are a few more that people sometimes kind of forget about.

So you have latex gloves and then you have finger cots. And so both of those items are good. If you are using like your hands to stimulate your partner latex gloves can also be used to make a Cape. So that is for someone who might have an elongated clearest or a microwave. That'll help keep them safe.

So where can you get all these great things? Well, we, you can't get all of them with us, but you can get a lot of them with us. So you can actually order things like latex, condoms, non-latex condoms flavored condoms, internal condoms, dental dams, and lubricant through our condom caravan program. So I'm going to put a link to that page in the description.

The podcast and that is free for all WVU students. So you can order supplies and then come and pick them up. Now, if you're an RA, you can actually contest, contact us directly and we can get you a supply in case you are looking to have that available for your residents. So that about wraps it up for me this week.

Thank you all so much for listening. I appreciate your time and attention and we will catch you next time on Wellbeing Wednesdays.

Â