This is how you should be taking care of your sexual health in your 20s

Your 20s can be a fun and exciting phase. You get to experience a lot and also learn some amazing things. However, it is also vital to take care of your sexual health and most importantly stay safe.

If you are sexually active, here are some of the things you should be paying attention to, to ensure that you stay safe while enjoying yourself.

1. Know your body
Before you go out and have fun with someone else, you need to have fun with your own self. And by fun, we mean knowing and understanding your body, what works for you, what absolutely doesn’t, and how much are you willing to experiment.

Don’t be afraid to touch and look at your own vagina, discover your pleasure points, and find out the best ways to pleasure yourself.

2. Pick a birth control method and stick to it
Whether you choose to go on the pill or ask your partner to use protection instead–you need to speak to a gynaecologist and understand the pros and cons of your choice. While the decision is entirely yours to make it doesn’t hurt to have knowledge about each of the birth control methods out there.

Also Read

Can omega-3 boost your libido and improve sex life? Read Now

After choosing one method, we would advise you to stick to it. Frequently changing your birth control can lead to a lot of unwanted bodily changes, like your menstrual cycle for one.

3. Talk to your partner about intimate hygiene
“Have you had sex before”
“Have you ever had multiple partners”
“Have you ever suffered from an STD”

These questions are completely normal and you have every right to ask your partner this before you have sex. You need to watch out for your own sexual health and your partner has an obligation to you to be completely honest about their sexual health and inform you about any changes.

AHA - Ask Healthshots Anything An AI-powered chatbot to answer all your health-related queries Chat Now

4. Find a good gynaecologist

Finding a good gynaecologist who makes you feel safe and comfortable is vital. If you have sex frequently, no matter how cautious you might be, you are putting yourself at risk for certain urinary infections and STDs. So schedule regular appointments with your gynae and be honest with them about everything that happens in your life… or more precisely in the bedroom.

Also, speak to your doctor about scheduling regular checkups to make sure you are in the best of health.

5. Safeguard your reproductive health
Popping an emergency contraceptive pill each time you have unprotected sex might seem like an easier solution than talking to your doctor about birth control–but trust us, it’s not. Make sure you use the best possible contraceptive that does the least damage to your reproductive health.

You may or may not want to have babies in the future, but there’s no reason to sabotage your reproductive health in your 20s.

6. Take care of your intimate hygiene

Sex can introduce bacteria in your system and you can expose yourself to a lot of things including urinary tract infections and yeast infections. Practising a few hygienic lifestyle habits is all that you need.

First off clean yourself after having sex. Peeing immediately after sex, and then wiping yourself dry (remember to go front to back and not the other way round) is a great idea. When you pee you cleanse the urethra from harmful bacteria which helps in avoiding infection.

Also, speak to your partner for maintaining basic hygiene down there.

Take care of these things in your 20s to ensure that you stay safe and healthy and have the maximum amount of fun.