When one of Glazia’s writers, Oluwanisola Eludoyin, found herself in the midst of some women at a gathering; she expected to have fun before returning to her desk to write but instead, she ended up giving a mini-lecture to these women about sexual health and infections.
Eludoyin claims she was shocked that the women knew little about protecting themselves from sexual infections and only one of them had done a checkup before. “It jolted me to reality. If these women know so little about sexual health, then there are many others like them. I once saw a TikTok video of a girl who seemed to insinuate that peeing after sex protects her from pregnancy.”
Sexual health
As there are myths about pregnancies, so there are about sexual infections. As a result, It is only proper that Glazia brings to light some of these myths and debunk them. But first, how can these infections be acquired?
Sexual infections are spread through fluids such as saliva and semen. There are various kinds of infections and they affect both males and females but the latter is more susceptible to them. For example, there are mild ones such as chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, Vulvovaginal Candidiasis, and so on. But there are lethal ones such as Gonorrhoea which could cause infertility if not treated, Herpes, HIV/AIDS, and so on.
How to prevent sexual infections
While every sexually active person is prone to infections, there are preventive measures you could take and they are;
Regular checkup
It is been proven that some of the affected do not exhibit symptoms. What this means is, you could have some infections without your knowledge. So, before they burst beyond your control, take preventive measures such as visiting a doctor or your gynaecologist regularly for check-ups and prescriptions.
Use protection.
As mentioned earlier, these infections are contracted through fluids. So, what this means is, you can contract infections not only through penetrative sex but also through oral sex. So, for penetration, you should use condoms and for oral sex, dental dams.
Testing
Another way you can prevent infections is by visiting the doctor with your partner before getting sexually intimate. You can also buy test kits at home so that both of you can take them together.
Peeing after sex
This is especially for women. During sex, germs can come into contact with your urinary tract, a small hole just above your vagina. Peeing after sex helps flush those germs out. If you don’t pee after sex, you could get a urinary tract infection (UTI).