The Risks of Unprotected Sex For Women

Did your condom break? We know that’s everyone’s worst nightmare – but sometimes these kinds of situations are unavoidable. 

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Or perhaps you think that having unprotected sex is totally fine with no risks involved whatsoever. 

Uhhhh – that’s a wrong mindset to have! 😲

There are quite a few risks involved when you have unprotected sex, though not many women are aware of them. If you recently had unprotected sex, read on to find out what could happen to you.

What is considered unprotected sex? 

Unprotected sex is when you are not using any form of protection (condom) which are known to protect you against STDs or pregnancy.  

One thing you should know is that birth control pills, emergency contraceptive pills or several other birth control methods such as IUD do NOT protect you against STIs or STDs. 

So even though you have some sort of birth control to prevent yourself from getting pregnant, there are several other risks involved. 

What are the risks of unprotected sex? 

Women (and men) are at risk of getting STIs (sexually transmitted infections) or STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) with an active sex life.

Below are the common STIs or STDs that women experience: 

1. Chlamydia 

Though chlamydia can happen to both men and women, it is highly likely for women to experience it more. 

One thing you should be aware of is that Chlamydia isn’t easy to spot – you probably won’t even notice it until a few days later.

The common Chlamydia signs include a vaginal discharge which has a strong smell along with a yellowish colour. 

You will also feel some sort of pain when you have sex or while peeing. 

When left untreated, it could cause several infections and even worse – infertility. 

2. Gonorrhoea

Men can get gonorrhoea along with women. The common symptoms for gonorrhoea in women is the increase of vaginal discharge alongside the bleeding of the vagina in between periods. 

Women tend to get confused with a regular vaginal infection, but you should notice that there are soreness, anal itching and bowel movements which are painful. 

3. HIV

Yes ladies, you can get HIV too, which is very common among those who have unprotected sex. How do women contract HIV? 

Well, HIV can spread through semen, blood, vaginal fluids, breast milk (mothers take note!) and rectal fluids (anal sex). 

When you’re having vaginal or anal sex with someone who already has HIV, you will immediately contract it too – provided you didn’t wear a condom and if the person did not get their HIV treated.

4. Unplanned pregnancy 

This is pretty much the most obvious risk involved when it comes to unprotected vaginal sex. When you’re having sex without condom or any sort of contraception, there is a high chance of pregnancy compared to the percentage of using protection. 

What should you do after having unprotected sex?

So if you had unprotected sex, don’t panic – you can still protect yourself and your health.

If you just had unprotected sex 

You should pee immediately to prevent UTI (urinary tract infection) although it doesn’t protect you against STIs or STDs. That way, you can flush out all the bacteria and prevent them from entering your urethra or urinary system. 

If it has been one day 

Take emergency contraceptive pills or get an IUD to prevent pregnancy from occuring. 

• Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs). Emergency contraceptive pills (also known as morning after pill) can be taken immediately upon unprotected sex or up to 72 hours. You don’t need to have a doctor’s prescription for this – simply head to any pharmacy to get them. 
• Intrauterine Device (IUD). You can also opt for IUD (intrauterine device) which is effective within 120 hours upon your encounter with unprotected sex. 

If it has been two weeks or a month 

• Be sure to get tested for STIs. You should also look out for signs which show that you might have any form of STIs. If some of the signs show up, you should immediately do a test for STIs, or if you’re afraid, you can do it anyway even if you don’t experience any signs. 
• Take a pregnancy test. Have you missed your period? Within 3 weeks upon your encounter with unprotected sex, you should perform a pregnancy test by purchasing any of them from the pharmacy and take it at home.

The Key Takeaway

It’s important to take immediate action once you encounter any of the risks above when having unprotected sex. 

Don’t give up hope if you realize some of these apply to you. Just be sure to address them accordingly and get treated or make use of the methods that are known to tackle the respective risks.