Birth Control Methods: Condoms / Question
Published: June 22, 2005
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I recently had Toxic Shock Syndrome (well a month ago). I should be recovered my doctor says but I?m having pain and bleeding from my vagina. I?ve also been wondering if when I am sexually active (I?m a virgin still) if my partner will be able to use condoms. My doctor says that I can?t ever use tampons, or a diaphragm, etc because I am at risk of getting TSS a lot easier this time. So are condoms safe?
Signed: Condoms Safe After TSS?
Dear Condoms Safe After TSS?,
We’re sorry to hear that you had Toxic Shock Syndrome and are glad that you are recovering. Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is, it is a rare but serious sickness caused by certain bacteria. Girls and women who use high-absorbency tampons are most at risk for this illness because the tampons stay in the vagina for a few hours, and those bacteria love to grow in that kind of environment: warm and moist. For the signs and symptoms of TSS and how to reduce your risk, check out the answer to “I Think I Have TSS” on our site.
As you already wrote, using tampons and other kinds of birth control that stays in the vagina for a few hours are not a good for you (ex. diaphragms and sponges). Since you have already had TSS, your doctor was right to tell you that you are at more risk of getting it again if you use those types of products. Condoms, on the other hand, seem to be safe to use after TSS because the condom is not present in the vagina for as long as tampons, etc. There have been no published cases out there that have said that condoms are not safe after TSS. So the bottom line is that condoms should be a good form of birth control for you when you are ready to become sexually active.
We congratulate you for thinking ahead about how to take care of yourself and about ways to have safe sex, even though you are not yet active. But remember, while condoms are a good way to prevent pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the only 100% effective way of doing that is not having sex.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Teens often abuse prescription drugs because of the myth that these drugs provide a medically safe high.
