3 Ways To Negotiate Condom Use With Your Partner

 
Gold circle Flex is a new ribbed and flavored condom brand marketed by Society for Family Health (SFH).
The Gold Circle Flex team have some facts about sex and condom use that they will share in a series of articles in the next few weeks. You can visit the Gold Circle Flex Facebook Page and tweet at @goldcircleflex for more information. Or send any requests or inquiries to goldcircleflex@sfhnigeria.org.
We have available in this generation, more avenues and gadgets with which to communicate than ever before. But studies have shown that; in families, the work place, communities and at virtually every level we are interacting and communicating less and less.

This fact is most obvious in romantic relationships. Men and women just do not appear to be talking to each other especially about important relationship issues. Communication, especially about sex and sexual health, can be understandably awkward and difficult. Discussing and practicing safe health however, is integral to any relationship both for birth control purposes and also for protection from Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

Condoms are still the most popular and easily available means for practicing safe sex. They are; an effective barrier with 98% effectiveness in preventing unplanned pregnancies and STIs, the most easily reversible method of birth control and have no hormonal side effects. A number of people are however reluctant to use condoms. Some common excuses to avoid using condoms are; I don’t have any infections, you do not trust me, it spoils the mood, we already use another type of contraceptive, If you love me you wouldn’t insist on a condom.

Encouraging your partner to use a condom can appear daunting.
Negotiating condom use in a relationship, for both men and women, is one of those areas where it is often not so much about the idea but more about how you present the idea. In negotiating condom use, there are several strategies that could be used;

• Benefits: This strategy involves explaining the benefits of using condoms to your partner. While this is a logical approach, it has had low success rates in most cases. Perhaps because sex is mostly a spontaneous, emotional exchange not particularly susceptible to logic.

• Eroticism: For this approach condoms are incorporated into sex as an erotic and exciting activity.

• Refusal: One partner simply refuses to have sex if a condom is not used. This strategy can often create resentment from the partner who is being refused sex on the basis of condom use.


The most successful negotiation tactic is ideally a merger of all three strategies. Being able to explain and listen to your partner’s concerns about condom use outside the bedroom with your cloths on is as important as valuing your health enough to stand your ground about having sex only if he or she agrees to use a condom. The deciding factor however is usually the ability for both or either partner to make condom use a fun, sensual activity that does not stifle the spontaneity of sex.

Women in particular face a situation where if they request condoms they are considered promiscuous. The first barrier to negotiating condom use therefore, will be to change your own mind set and attitude about protecting your health and that of your partner by using condoms.

The ribbed and strawberry flavored Gold Circle Flex® is designed with features to maximize pleasure and enhance satisfaction. It ensures pleasurable safety while you build trust and commitment in your relationship. Gold Circle Flex® is available in major malls, supermarkets and pharmacies near you and is sold at a very affordable one hundred and fifty naira. Wholesale purchases are also available

 Source : sfhnigeria.org