Talking to your partner about contraceptive use

Talking about contraception with your partner can be tough. It might seem as a mood killer but nothing is as stressful as spending the whole time worrying about pregnancy or catching some sexually transmitted infection.

Talking about contraception with your partner may seem awkward but it is very important. At the end of the day both of you might be glad you did it. 

Here are some tips to talk to your partner about contraceptive use:

1. Talk about it before having sex: Try to have the conversation about contraception before your first time and before you have sex. 

• Be committed to using protection: Check how your partner feels about using protection and make sure you are both committed to using condoms and contraceptives before having sex. 

• Be informed: Read up on information about contraceptives and options before having such a conversation. This will make you feel more confident and will get you more respect from whoever you are talking to.

• Be open and honest: When having these conversations with your partner, express your opinion, how you feel and why it is important to you that you both use protection. Being open and honest really gets the conversation going.

• Decide what works for you: Which contraception method works best for you. To help you decide, you can visit a health facility and talk with your doctor about your options and which option suits the both of you. 

With sex comes a big responsibility because of the risks of pregnancy or diseases. 

If you find that you are too uncomfortable to talk about these things with your partner, it might be a sign that you’re not totally ready yet to have sex with him or her yet.