Sex. We love to talk about it, do it, and then talk about it again. But contraception is just as important as sex, if not more important.
Why? Because if you are having sex, you should be doing so safely. The possibility of pregnancy or STIs is no lighthearted matter.
Students Lorena Diaz, Mike Hughes, and Jennifer Choudhry agree that the University of Maryland, College Park has adequate contraception, but have different opinions about whether brands of condoms vary in effectiveness.
The University Health Center provides over 20 different types of condoms as well as female condoms, according to Jenna Beckwith, the Sexual Health Program Coordinator.
“The Health Center is open and offers various services for students to use, and most convenience stores on campus sell condoms that students can use there Terp Bucks to buy,” Mike Hughes, materials science and engineering major said.
However, despite the variety of condoms offered, the University Health Center still gets disapproval from students.
“We get complaints because students are wary about certain types of condoms and I think it’s mainly because of brain recognition. Condoms are like sneakers, there are different types but they all have the same effect. Lack of lubrication is the cause of condom breakage,” said Emily Leonard, a SHARE (Sexual Health and Reproductive Education) peer educator.
However, Lorena Diaz, a resident assistant on campus and government and politics major, felt differently about condom brand effectiveness.
“I do think the university supplies enough contraceptives for students. However, there is a brand difference that I always explain to my residents. If a guy has a Lifestyle, run away,” Diaz said.
Beckwith said this is not the case. “Brands of condoms have nothing to do with effectiveness. Each one goes through the exact same rigorous testing, not to discount that most students do have preferences,” Beckwith said.
Jennifer Choudhry, computer science major, agreed with Beckwith.
“I consider brands when picking birth control but I don’t care about brands with condoms,” Choudhry said.
Still other students tend to disagree. “Some [condoms] are definitely better than others but with most of the name brands there isn’t much difference in quality,” Hughes said.
Another form of contraception for females is birth control.
You do not need to have health insurance in order to get oral contraceptives (birth control pills), the vaginal ring (Nuva Ring), the contraceptive patch (Ortho-Evra), diaphragms, emergency contraceptive pills and Depo Provera injections from the Women’s Health in the University Health Center.
But if you do not have health insurance you must pay a $50 fee plus the cost of the birth control, Carly Payne, office clerk at Women’s Health in the University Health Center said.
In addition to free condoms, the University Health Center also provides Plan B at the pharmacy for $30 as opposed to $50 at CVS, annual gynecology exams, and birth control consultations free of charge.