Some Valentine's Day Condom Advice - Plan Ahead!

With Valentine's Day coming upon us, I would like to remind you all of the American Social Health Association's viewpoint that NOW is a good time to be reminded that safer sex practices have never been more critical:

"Despite hundreds of millions of tax dollars spent on abstinence-only education programs, each year in the U.S. there are approximately 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STI), about half of which occur among youth ages 15-24. Untreated STIs can cause a host of medical complications, including infertility."

• A CDC federal study revealed that 1 in 4 teenage American girls has a STD.

Part of the solution to this is to stand behind efforts that seek to provide young people with unbiased, medically accurate sexual health information (which, by the way, research reveals that most adults support). Contrary to what some may believe, supporting comprehensive sex education does not encourage sex, it encourages responsibility and promotes reproductive health.

"The evidence is overwhelming that among those who are sexually active, consistent and correct condom use greatly reduces the risk of contracting infections."

Looking for some creative ways to incorporate condom use into your Valentine's Day plans? Here are some fun ideas (as well as additional "birth-control" themed ones) to make this year's Valentine's Day unforgettable.

• Before You Buy Condoms
• Different Types and Styles of Condoms
• Do Condom Sizes Really Matter?
• Share Your Tip: Where Do You Store Your Condoms?
• What Are Your Favorite Condoms?

_{Valentine's Day Condom Lollipops Photo © 2013 Dawn Stacey}