Did you know that the months of August and September are the most common months for birth in the US? Those being the most common months for births would mean that December and January would be the most common months for conception. It makes sense as a huge portion of the United States is covered in snow from late October to until about March. For college students that means spending 6 months stuck in our dorm rooms with nothing to do but smoke a lot of weed and fuck… and study. (Some parents read this site.) Lots of sex = lots of oppurtunities to fuck up. Fuck ups = unplanned pregnancy and/or contraction of STIs. This is why, right now, y'all need to re-up on your safer sex knowledge.

Welcome Hibernation 2011: Surviving Winter Semester

Here you will find everything you need to know to protect yourself from STIs and pregnancy, because college is hard enough without a trip to the med center for antibiotics.

Before we do anything you need to know what the hell we're talking about.

As we know sex can be a bunch of flowery bullshit, but what are we talking about here?

Each one of these activities carries it's own set of risks. Because I love you and have a lot of free time, I put together this handy risk chart. Follow this to find out how risky what you're doing is and how you can minimize the risk. Remember that there is only a risk if the person(s) you're enjoying actually have these infections... except for pregnancy and remember that can only happen when sperm and egg meet. This is why you'll notice that there is no/low risk of getting pregnant from anything except penis in vagina sex (PIV). I add the low caveat because it is possible that semen could get into the vagina without PIV, however it is unlikely to happen and is even more unlikely to cause conception. Anytime you are talking about risk it is important to know the full risk.

Click on the image to see it as huge as I made it. Save it. Share it. Pass it around. Repeat.

If you need to know all about these infections, including symptoms and treatemt click here.

Believe it or not, for many people condoms are intimidating. Because of this, it's too common that people will go without asking the questions they need to ask. So no need to ask, just watch the video and get your info on. If you still have questions just ask them in the comments.

Buying condoms at a drug store or Wal-Mart is easy enough for most people. But what if you're too large or too small for a normal condom? What if you're tired of the same old Trojans? Hell, what if you're broke and need a bunch of quality condoms for cheap? The internet is your best friend. My favorite place to shop for condoms on or offline is Condom Depot. They have a ton, literally a ton, of condoms in all shapes, sizes, countries of origin, colors, tastes, scents, and textures you can dream of. But what's most important for my broke ass is that they cost way less than other places and if you use the coupon code "SAFE" at check out you can get a discount. If you're reading this before Jan 8, 2011 then use the coupon code "2011" and get 15% off everything. If you're even broker than me, I feel bad for you and so does your school. If you go to a big/public university there is always some place that is giving away free condoms. If you contact your health center, they will point you in the right direction. However, at my school I notice that they only have the normal size, so if you can't fit that you will probably be forced to buy them. Please do not force your penis into a condom that is too small, it may break. Don't bag it in one that's too big, it may fall off. Neither is really helpful.

While condoms/barriers and abstinence are the only ways to prevent STIs, there are many ways to prevent pregnancy.

Once again, because I love you and have an almost obsessive desire to control everything, I have have created a handy chart to show you all your options. Now please note that I am not a doctor. I am not even planning on being a doctor. I decided become a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist so that I wouldn't have to attend med school. So before you make any decisions about taking medications you need to talk to your doctor. When they are not using condoms to make it rain, the med centers on campuses are helping to provide students with all the info they need to know about birth control.

Since winter is shitty you may want to think about loading up on all your requisite needs. See if your doctor can can perscribe you a 3-month or 6-month supply of your birth control. Make sure you talk about all the options. One big thing to remember is that if you do not want to worry about your birth control, or have to take it everyday you need to let that be known.

Also if you do go to Condom Depot you can get 100 condom tins for about $20 and don't forget to use the coupn code "Safe" to save you some money. If you need any sex toys or lube check out The Smitten Kitten. Use the coupon code "LTASex" for 20% off your entire order and free shipping. If you are in the market for new toys, I recently put together a list of the best toys of 2010.

I know from many years of giving people advice and seeing them not follow it, to their own peril, that people will do what they want. If you are a person who doesn't use protection or may be infected read this personal story. There are no scare tactics here, just a simple personal experience story so that you know what you can expect when being treated for an STI. If you are a person that has no stance one way or the other on STI and pregnancy prevention then you should read this article that will give you some things to think about in making a decision.

No matter what choices you decide to make, I only ask that you make it with the best information available. Hopefully this guide will help you make some decisions that are healthy and beneficial for you.