It is always advisable and safe to engage in safe sex: you have one faithful partner that you are also faithful to; you make use of a condom if you have multiple sexual partners.

However, some people still find themselves engaging in unprotected sex which happens accidentally (it was not planned) some of the time: having a quick one-night stand without a condom with a partner you are just meeting for the first time and whose sexual history is unknown to you or even with someone you know who has multiple sexual partners. It can also be that the condom got torn during sexual intercourse or a situation in which a girl was raped.

Unprotected sex is very risky because it predisposes the person to sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea, syphilis; HIV. For a woman, there is the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy which can disrupt her education and career if she is a teenager and come from a family where the support is lacking.
So what should you do when you accidentally engage in an unprotected sex with someone with a questionable sexual history? Going to the hospital immediately after the incident should be next action. The doctor at the hospital will ask specific questions about the event and then draw out a plan on how to manage it. Such a plan does entail:

1. Preventing pregnancy in the case of a woman by giving the woman emergency contraception, the most common being the postinor 2 pill. Postinor 2 is a pill that is effective at preventing pregnancy in a woman if taken within 3 days of having sex without any contraceptive. It is most effective if taken within the first 24 hours: it comes as two pills, one taken immediately and the second pill taken 12 hours later.

Another method is the use of the intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) especially for women who are fat as the postinor 2 may not be effective in them. The IUCD is inserted into the woman’s womb from her private part.

Do note that the postinor 2 have side temporary effects which some women may experience after taking it: dizziness, vomiting, heavy or scanty bleeding during their periods.

2. The person may be placed on anti-retroviral drugs for HIV (known as post-exposure prophylaxis) and drugs for common sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhoea if there are pointers that the sexual partner with whom the unprotected sexual intercourse was engaged in has a risky sexual lifestyle (a sex worker for example). While receiving the treatment, the person will be followed up to be screened for HIV a month or 3 months later (after the window period of HIV during which it can be detected by the screening test).

To get the best health outcome after having an unprotected sex, especially with a partner with a risky sexual lifestyle, it is important to visit a hospital as soon as possible after the incident. This will likely prevent a new HIV infection or sexually transmitted infection in the healthy partner and it will also prevent an unwanted pregnancy in a woman.

Don’t forget you can conveniently book that lab test your doctor requested for with any of our partner labs closest to you. Just click on Swift Checkup to schedule the medical test with a lab.

We are currently building an online platform that will allow you consult verified medical doctors on any health issues from the comfort of your mobile phone. Do follow us by liking us on Facebook so you get to know when we launch.

Written by Dr. Okechukwu Amako, MB;BS (Ibadan)

Tags: anti-retroviral drugs, condom, emergency contraceptive pill, gonorrhoea, HIV, IUCD, safe sex, unprotected sex, unwanted pregnancy

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