http://share.ceh.org.au/fact-sheet/contraception/ Contraceptives Contraceptives are a way to prevent pregnancy. There are different types of contraceptives, which act in different ways to stop pregnancy. Condoms are the only contraceptive that act to prevent sexually transmissible infections (STIs). The following list are examples of more common types of contraceptives available in Australia. Barrier Contraceptives What they are: Condoms with water-based lubricant, female condoms What they do: Condoms are the only contraceptives that can protect you and your partner from STIs, as they provide a physical barrier between your genitals. They can be used for vaginal, anal and oral sex to prevent STIs and pregnancy. More info: Condoms come in different sizes, textures and materials to make sure they are most pleasurable for everyone. Using water-based lubricant with condoms can make sex more pleasurable and reduce the risk of condom breakage. You can get condoms and lubricant from supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies and sometimes in public toilets. Oral Contraceptive Pills What they are: Pills swallowed by a woman, at about the same time every day. What they do: Contraceptive pills have hormones in them. Different pills have different hormones, which do different things. Most commonly, they do either or both of the following: they either stop a woman from releasing eggs (ovulating), or they make the fluids at the opening of a woman s uterus thicker so that sperm can t get through to the egg. More info: Your doctor needs to prescribe oral contraceptive pills and will talk to you about the options that are best for you. Contraceptive Implants or Injections What they are: The contraceptive implant is a very small rod with hormones, which is injected into a woman s arm and can last for three years. Contraceptive injections are hormone injections, that need to be given by a doctor every 3 months. What they do: The hormones work in the same way as the hormones given in the oral contraceptive pill, by stopping ovulation or making the fluid in the opening of the uterus thick to stop sperm. More info: Talk to your doctor about the best contraceptive for you. Intrauterine Devices (IUD)
What they are: The IUD is a small piece of plastic that has either copper or hormones on it and is inserted into a woman s uterus by a doctor. It can last for 10 years, but can be removed if a woman wants to get pregnant or has unwanted side-effects. What they do: The copper or hormones change the fluid in the uterus so that sperm cannot survive. More info: Talk to your doctor about the best contraception for you. Emergency Contraceptive Pill (morning after pill) What they are: A pill with hormones that is taken by a woman as soon as possible after having sex, if a condom has not been used or has broken and the woman does not use other contraceptives. What they do: The hormones in the pill can delay or stop a woman s egg from releasing, so that it cannot be fertilised. More info: The emergency contraceptive pill is not 100% effective and should not be used as a regular form of contraception. It is most effective when used as soon as possible (within 24 hours of having sex). It is generally not effective if taken after 4 days. In Australia you can get the emergency contraceptive pill at your pharmacy without a doctor s prescription. Talk to your doctor about the best form of contraception for you.
http://share.ceh.org.au/fact-sheet/negotiating-condom-use/ Negotiating Condom Use Having sex is a shared experience and therefore should be enjoyable for both partners. Sometimes, one partner will say that they do not want to use condoms. Having sex without a condom is risky, you may get a sexually transmissible infection (STI) or blood borne virus (BBV), and for women there is the added risk of getting pregnant. If you are worried about having sex without a condom, then it is unlikely that you will enjoy having sex, and you may worry afterwards that you could have gotten a BBV, STI or pregnant. You deserve a partner who wants you to enjoy having sex with them as much as they enjoy having sex with you not someone who prefers to put you and themselves at risk for just a few minutes of their pleasure! STIs, BBVs and unplanned pregnancies can affect your life long-term. Having safer sex by using condoms and water-based lubricant is a way to show that you care and respect yourself and your partner. In the heat of the moment, it can be hard to know what to say when your partner doesn t want to use condoms, here are some ideas to help convince your partner to use condoms: They say It doesn t feel as good with a condom. You say I won t be comfortable or enjoy it if we don t use a condom, so let s use the condom OR You say I will only have sex with a condom (most people in this situation will prefer sex with a condom than no sex at all!) Or You say Let s wait then. There are heaps of different types of condoms including thin ones that help you feel more pleasure, it will be fun trying to find the right one to suit us! They say Don t you trust me? You say I do trust you, but I don t know what your or my previous partners have done, I d be more comfortable if I knew we were protecting ourselves and each other. They say I m on the pill, don t worry. You say Condoms protect us from other stuff (STIs) as well, and I d be more comfortable using a condom. They Say I always pull out on time, don t worry. You say If we use a condom, you don t have to pull out, it will be way better! *Even if they do pull out on time, there is still a risk of STIs/ BBVs and pregnancy because many men release a fluid known as pre-cum, before they ejaculate, which may contain sperm from previous ejaculation. They say I can t stay hard with a condom. You say I won t relax or have fun without a condom, so I ll help you stay hard!
They say We ve done it before without a condom. You say I know! I worried about it for ages! They say I thought we loved each other You say When you complain about using condoms it s upsetting, because I m just trying to make a safer choice for us both. It s not about loving each other it s about respecting ourselves and respecting each other s decisions.
http://share.ceh.org.au/fact-sheet/alcohol-use/ Alcohol Use Alcohol use affects your decision making and judgement. After having alcohol, people often end up doing things they wouldn t normally do, for example, doing something embarrassing or having sex with someone they wouldn t have sex with if they were sober. Alcohol can also affect the brain development of young people, and anyone under the age of 18 are strongly advised not to drink. Drinking alcohol puts you at a greater risk of: Injury Sexual Assault Unsafe sex Adults are advised to drink no more than one standard drink per hour, and no more than two standard drinks per day, with some days of not drinking during the week. One standard drink is 10g of pure alcohol, but most drinks you get a bar or bottle shop are more than one standard drink. This chart shows the number of standard drinks in common alcoholic beverages. It is against the law to drive if your blood alcohol level is above.05, you should also protect yourself and never get in a car with a driver who is drunk. Different people are affected by alcohol differently, but generally, to stay below.05 blood alcohol: Men can have two standard drinks in the first hour of drinking and one drink each hour after that. Women can drink one drink in the first hour and then drink one drink each hour after that. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are advised not to drink. Drinking a few drinks daily or drinking a lot often can cause long term health problems. If you are out for a big night with friends, drink water or soft drinks in between alcoholic drinks and remember to eat before or while you re out, this will help to keep you safer and also make the next day less painful! If someone has acted violently towards you or assaulted you while they, or you have been drinking alcohol, you can call the police on 000 or one of the counselling services listed on this website.
http://share.ceh.org.au/fact-sheet/healthy-relationships/ Healthy Relationships Respect, equality and communication are key parts of healthy relationships. Communication is about listening to each other and respecting what the other says. Its ok to disagree but it is important to talk about the disagreements and try and resolve them. Encouraging and supporting each other in the things you do are an aspect of healthy relationships. A healthy relationship does not mean sharing everything with your partner. Some things are private, such as passwords, and that is ok. Healthy relationships also include having space from each other. Having your own hobbies and friends is healthy. Jealousy, power and control are key parts on unhealthy relationships. How do you know if your relationship is an unhealthy one? When: You and your partner insult or put each other down There is jealousy and accusations There is swearing at each other You say humiliating things to or about each other One partner tells the other partner what they can or cannot wear One partner makes decisions about where the other partner can go One partner makes decisions about what the other partner can do One partner physically hurts the other partner One partner manipulates, coerces or forces the other partner into sexual acts. If you think you are in an unhealthy relationship talk to a trusted friend or family member, your doctor or a counsellor and think about the following things: You deserve to be valued and respected by your partner You deserve to feel safe and secure in a relationship People will only change if they think what they are doing is wrong and they want to change. Ask yourself if your relationship healthy or unhealthy and consider whether it is time to talk to somebody about it.
http://share.ceh.org.au/fact-sheet/consent/ Consent It does not matter what a person is wearing or how they have behaved, or if you are in their house or in a bed together, if someone tells you no when you are trying to have sex with them, or if they push you away, it means that you have to stop trying to have sex with them. It is very important to make sure that the person you are with is happy with the sexual activity you are doing. It doesn t have to be sexual intercourse: touching someone and kissing them if they don t like it, is also against the law. Forcing someone or manipulating them to have sex with you is also against the law, and anyway, sex isn t fun unless you are both into it. Saying things like you d do it if you loved me or you ve got me hard, we can t stop now is not okay if someone doesn t want to have sex you should not try to change their mind. Sometimes people show they don t want to have sex, or they want to stop, without actually saying no or stop. If someone does the following, you should stop trying to have sex with them: Moving away from you or turning away from you Covering their bodies Lying still Says something like I m not sure Says something like Let s slow down Says something like I don t want to If you are not sure if someone is giving their consent, you can ask them questions, like: Do you want to have sex? Do you want to keep going? Should I get out the condom? The best way to know if someone is giving consent to sexual activity is to ask! Most people will appreciate that you respect them enough to ask! Laws about consent No one can have sex with, touch sexually or perform sexual acts in front of anyone under 12 years old. A person aged 12-15 years old can only have sex with, be touched sexually or have a sexual act performed in front of them, by someone aged within 2 years of them (but not below 12) and only if both people agree to the sexual acts. A person aged 16 or 17 years old can have sex with, be touched sexually or have a sexual act performed in front of them, by someone no more than 2 years younger than them, or anyone older than them, so long as that person is not in a caring or supervising role (teacher, youth worker, foster carer) and only if both people agree. You cannot have sex with someone, touch them sexually or perform a sexual act in front of them unless they agree to it. A person cannot legally agree to these things if they are asleep, unconscious or affected by alcohol or drugs (even if they say yes when they are drunk). Sexting It is illegal to have sexual pictures of people under the age of 18, even if the person in the picture has sent you the photo. If someone under the age of 18 sends you a sexual picture of themselves, you should delete it straight away and ask them to not send any more sexual photos of themselves.
It is illegal to send sexual pictures of adults unless the person in the photo has said it is okay.
Services Available Family Planning Victoria Sexual and reproductive health services for people under 25 Location: Level 1, 94 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, VIC Phone: (03) 9660 4700 or visit Family Planning Victoria Action Centre Lifeline 24-hour Australia wide telephone counselling service. Phone: 13 11 14 or visit Lifeline Australia Kids Helpline 24-hour counselling service for children and young people aged 5 25. Phone: 1800 55 1800 or visit Kids Helpline Direct Line A 24-hour drug and alcohol phone line offering counselling and referral services. Phone: 1800 888 236 or visit Counselling Online Action Centre Sexual and reproductive health services for people under 25. Free condoms available Location: Level 1, 94 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, VIC Phone: (03) 9660 4700 or visit Family Planning Victoria Action Centre National Health Service Directory Directory to find a doctor in your local area Visit National Health Services Directory Dr Marie Sexual health and unplanned pregnancy services Phone: 1300 003 707 or Visit Dr Marie
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre Free sexual health clinic, offering free condoms and testing and treatment including post-exposure prophylaxis if you think you have been exposed to HIV, walk-ins welcome. Location: 580 Swanston St, Carlton, VIC Phone: (03) 9341 6200 or visit Melbourne Sexual Health Centre Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre Provides a wide range of specialist treatment and support services to people affected by alcohol and drug use. Available: Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5pm Phone: (03) 8413 8413 or visit Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre