This is going to sound a little ironic coming from the Trojan Man, but I’ll say it anyway, condoms suck. Now, a lot people out there use condoms and that’s great, keep doing that, this article’s not for you, sorry. But for those who have rode the roller coaster without protection and felt every rise and fall to its fullest potential, this one’s for you. Once you crossed that line it’s tough to go back; however, if you are going to go that route, there are two precautions you should take to ensure your fun doesn’t come with life changing stipulations attached to it.

Number one, and this isn’t to say that one is more important than the other. You and your partner need to get tested!

“Hey babe, it turns out I have, enter name of random terrible std, my bad.”

You meet a nice girl, you date for a while, then you hook up. You don’t have any std’s and she tells you she’s clean. Then a week or so she gives you a call like the one above. Now you’ve reached the point of no return. Trust is nice, facts are better.

Number two, definitely not a lesser precaution by any means. You or your partner needs to be on some type of birth control, unless of course you two are trying to have a baby. There are plenty of options out there from the pill, the shot, an IUD, or a chip. Kids are awesome, but studying for finals becomes an even more ridiculous challenge when you’re staying up all night to taking care of you newborn with a cold.

As we start a new semester and before we get into the more gritty subjects of the sexual realm I’d like to remind everyone to use birth control and get tested with your partner before you engage in any type of sexual activity. Taking risks can be exciting, but do try and stay away from the unnecessary ones.