Contraception and sexual health

Contraception is a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. There are many different types of contraception you can choose from – you can talk to your GP or Family Planning about your options. During this conversation, everybody needs to be on the same page and doesn’t feel pressured into anything they don’t want to do, for fear of not having sex or any other consequences. If someone says they won’t sleep with you because you want them to wear a condom, that is a big red flag. Allowing people to choose a contraception method that works best for them means that everyone can feel comfortable and empowered during their sexual experiences. 

It is sexual assault to ‘stealth’ someone during sex. ‘Stealthing’ is where people have agreed on using a condom before sex, then during the activity, the condom is intentionally broken or removed during sex, without the other person’s consent. This is absolutely not okay, even if you’ve seen it happen in porn. Stealthing causes harm and is therefore classified as sexual harm. It is illegal.  

The Be Well | Whai Hauora team collaborate with Auckland Sexual Health Services and New Zealand Aids Foundation on a weekly basis to bring a drop-in sexual health screening service to campus. Click here for more information about these drop-in sessions. 

Student Health and Counselling have plenty of self-help resources around sexual health and contraception. Visit their webpages for more information.