Irish Examiner article on unsafe sex

sharondingle

I'm writing an article for The Irish Examiner about why more people are choosing to have sex without using contraception and would love to feature some personal stories; the more, the better.
It's obviously a sensitive topic so you won't be identified if you don't want to be. Here are the questions I'd ask you:
Have you had unsafe sex?
Why did you decide to do so? Was it because you were unprepared and got caught up in the heat of the moment?
Or was it because you felt lacking in confidence about bringing up the subject of contraception?
Or was it because you're fed up with the side effects of the pill and other contraceptive options and have yet to find a method that works for you?
Or was it for an entirely different reason?
If you have unsafe sex, do you ask your partners about their sexual history?
Do you get checked for sexually transmitted diseases regularly yourself?
Do you worry about the risks involved in unsafe sex or are you prepared to live with the consequences?
Do you think that you and people you know have the confidence and the language to be able to discuss these issues with sexual partners or is it something that is generally avoided?

I'd love to hear your personal experiences of these issues. You can PM me

leonidas83

sharondingle wrote: »

I'm writing an article for The Irish Examiner about why more people are choosing to have sex without using contraception and would love to feature some personal stories; the more, the better.
It's obviously a sensitive topic so you won't be identified if you don't want to be. Here are the questions I'd ask you:
Have you had unsafe sex?
Why did you decide to do so? Was it because you were unprepared and got caught up in the heat of the moment?
Or was it because you felt lacking in confidence about bringing up the subject of contraception?
Or was it because you're fed up with the side effects of the pill and other contraceptive options and have yet to find a method that works for you?
Or was it for an entirely different reason?
If you have unsafe sex, do you ask your partners about their sexual history?
Do you get checked for sexually transmitted diseases regularly yourself?
Do you worry about the risks involved in unsafe sex or are you prepared to live with the consequences?
Do you think that you and people you know have the confidence and the language to be able to discuss these issues with sexual partners or is it something that is generally avoided?

I'd love to hear your personal experiences of these issues. You can PM me

I would think the main reason why a lot of people go down this road in this country is firstly, because the feeling/sensation is a lot better, secondly the risk of catching a life threatening STD is remote especially if you are a heterosexual male as our HIV rates are much lower than that of other countries in general & finally because a lot of women would be using a contraceptive pill anyway to normalize their menstrual cycles.

Bill Gates is currently in the process of developing a new stronger, thinner condom by using Graphene. I think this could help the lower the regularity with which people are having unprotected sex in this country.

sharondingle

Thanks Leonidas. Feeling/sensation is definitely a key part, I think, especially for males.
Am I to assume you are a heterosexual male? If so, do you regularly have unprotected sex and if you do, do you not worry about other sexually transmitted infections?
Or do you pay regular visits to get yourself checked for STIs? Is this something you talk about with your sexual partners?
I'd love to hear more of your own story...