As the festive season approaches, it’s time to enjoy those staff parties and socialise with friends. However, it’s also a time where that kiss under the mistletoe could lead to a quickie under the covers! It is, therefore, a time for increased sexual health awareness so we’ve gathered some top tips on staying sexually healthy over the Christmas period.
Drinking
Drinking and Christmas parties go hand in hand and it’s great to kick back and have a bit of fun once in awhile. However, alcohol can cloud our judgement and dim our sense of reason and responsibility, meaning that we are less likely to use a condom with that office coworker! Too much alcohol can also cause you to be sick, which can affect the efficiency of the contraceptive pill. So, remember to pace yourself and get friends to look out for you to make sure you stay safe all evening and get home in one piece.
Contraception
For those of you who are using the daily contraceptive pill, make sure that you have enough to cover the Christmas period when GP surgeries will be closed. If you’ve had unprotected sex or a condom failure, you can get ‘the morning after pill’ at many pharmacies, GP surgeries and family planning centres.
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
The rate of STIs increases over the festive season. Condoms are the best barrier for defence against chlamydia, gonorrhoea and HIV and, with many family planning clinics giving away free condoms, there really is no excuse. If you think you’ve been infected, you can easily get chlamydia testing kits in London from various locations and for extra help and advice visit https://www.checkurself.org.uk.
Pregnancy
Unplanned pregnancy rates increase after Christmas as a result of higher levels of unprotected sex and contraception failure. Providing you follow our tips, you shouldn’t find yourself in this predicament, but if you do, you need to visit your GP as soon as possible to get some advice for the future.
Have Fun
If you are looking for love or a bit of fun over the Christmas period, try online dating or go to a local singles night. Better still, socialise as much as you can with friends and ask if they know any other singles that can come along.