INDEX THE DA STAFF PICK Half-priced candy after Valentine’s Day page 2
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THURSDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2018
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A LOOK INSIDE
PHOTO BY RYAN ALEXANDER
Condoms are one way to practice safe sex and prevent sexually transmitted diseases and infections.
Wrapping up for safe sex
Shows to watch while eating marked down Valentine’s candy Check out these seven shows while eating your day-after V-day candy page 5
Students weigh in on their preferred methods of birth control and disease provention BY JULIA HILLMAN ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR For some people, Valentine’s Day is one of the best days of the year. It’s a day filled with love, cheap chocolate, colorful flowers and teddy bears that are bigger than professional basketball players. What the time after Valentine’s Day should not be filled with is sexually transmitted diseases (STD/STI) and unwanted pregnancies. There are many ways to avoid the bad sides of “the day of love.” Just like a middle school sexual education teacher would say, the most effective way to avoid unwanted pregnancy and STDs is by exercising abstinence. But what they probably never said was that there are quite a few ways other than abstaining from sex to avoid potential mishaps. The easiest, and probably cheapest, way to keep a bun out of the oven and to keep diseases away is condoms. Condoms are the only kind of birth control that protects people from both STDs and unwanted pregnancies. Condoms are less than $10 a box. A child costs about $12,000 a year to take care of, and let’s not even get into how much medical bills can be to treat STDs. While some students may be oblivious to the superpowers of the condom, many are not. “They’re not hard to use, and they’re so cheap; it’s a no-brainer,”
“Getting my implant from student health was really easy, and the doctor there made me comfortable and confident in my decision.” - Kristen Hudgins, freshman said freshman Kyle Howard. Students can pick up condoms for 25 cents per condom or five for $1 from the Condom Caravan. Exact dates and locations can be found at https://well.wvu. edu/resources/sexual-health/ condom-caravan. While condoms should always be used, female birth control is another strong option when it comes to avoiding unwanted pregnancies. While the pill, the implant and the IUD do not protect against STDs, they still are a good way to protect yourself against pregnancy. Some methods, like the implant and IUDs, have a 99 percent effectiveness rate and can be prescribed by Student Health on campus. Kristen Hudgins, a freshman, went to Student Health to receive her birth control implant. She saw the doctor twice: Once for a consultation and a second time for the procedure. “Getting my implant from student health was really easy, and the doctor there made me com-
fortable and confident in my decision,” Hudgins said. Hudgins said the insertion was “quick, easy and relatively painless.” “I really enjoy the implant,” Hudgins said. “I haven’t had any bad reactions to it.” Hudgins liked how her choice of birth control was “one-anddone,” meaning she doesn’t have to worry about taking it like a pill or having it break like a condom. “The main reason why I chose this method was because of how effective it is. I can’t miss a dose, and I like how I can always tell it’s in the right place because I can feel it in my arm,” Hudgins said. WVU provides its students with excellent, and mostly cheap, opportunities to protect themselves if they are sexually active. So Mountaineers, enjoy being in love and making it, too. Indulge in all the chocolate, watch all the sappy movies or cry over the fact that the only card you got this year was from your grandma. But, mostly importantly, remember: don’t be silly, wrap your willy!
STDs vs. STIs • An STI is a sexually transmitted infection • An infection is often the first step of a disease
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• Infection occurs when either bacteria, viruses or microbes enter the body • All STDs start out as STIs: STIs that progress into diseases are STDs • Many STIs show no symptoms at all, so those affected don’t know they have them. • This is why getting tested is SO IMPORTANT! INFORMATION VIA STDCHECK.COM
Maciej Bender lifts WVU men’s basketball Bender matches a career high in rebounds with just 16 minutes of play page 9
Look for this conversation heart for all Valentine’s related stories inside!