Double protection or not?

[littlemissp]

Hi guys!

Once again, I come here to ask you for help. I've been together with my boyfriend for 3 years now and it's been great. I was a virgin when I met him so, throughout these 3 years, my sex life has been quite a journey - from pregnancy anxiety to pain during sex, I've experienced everything. Now, thankfully, I can say that sex does feel really good and I've overcome that fear of getting pregnant even though we always used double protection (condoms+pill). I've been taking birth control since I was 17 (I am 23 now), I'm always on time and I've never forgotten to take one single pill. I was thinking that, perhaps, we could try having sex without condom. I feel absolutely confident with my pill and I feel like this is a step that I'm ready to take. Am I being reckless for feeling like that? I tried to talk to my friends about it but they are totally against it which made me feel like I was stupid for even thinking about not using double protection.

[Sam W]

Hi littlemissp,

It's ultimately up to you and your partner to decide how much risk you're comfortable taking. The pill is very effective on its' own, but you're always going to have more protection by combining those two methods. Too, if you're someone who has a history of pregnancy anxiety, decreasing the amount of protection you're using could end up setting off that anxiety. Since it sounds like backing up with condoms has helped you feel more comfortable, is there a reason you're looking to go without them now?

The other thing to remember is that condoms also offer protection against STIs, so depending on how consistent you two have been with your STI testing you two may need to get tested before choosing to go without condoms.