With national condom week upon us, health officials are seeking to promote the use of condoms, as this is the only type of contraception that can prevent against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Government figures show there were 420,000 STIs diagnosed in the UK last year, with a 20 per cent increase in syphilis cases and 22 per cent increase in gonorrhoea.
Nakita Halil, Chief Executive of sexual health charity FPA, said: “There is still a huge amount of stigma surrounding STIs and sex, which isn’t helpful when we’re trying to encourage more open conversations between sexual partners and increase condom use.
“The main problem is a lack of high-quality sex and relationships education, which means many young people are not given important information about enjoying safer sex, or consistently taught skills like talking about condoms with a partner.
“With nearly one in five men reporting they have not used a condom because they don’t like how they feel, and 30 per cent because they don’t enjoy sex as much when using condoms.”
Miss Halil added: “This helps to make condoms an aid to pleasurable sex without the worry of infections, rather than something which creates awkwardness and is more likely to be abandoned in the heat of the moment because of a lack of practice and confidence.”
You can find out more about the range of contraceptive services available at Harrow Health Care Centre at https://bit.ly/2SlIzNP.
