Sex is a phenomenon that many deem indescribable, however, in today’s society, it is becoming more conventional to have sex at an earlier age, as well as much more casually. Often times the risks involved are overlooked and the consequences of having unprotected sex are lost.

According to the Medical Institute for Sexual Health, “63% of all sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases occur among people less than 25 years of age” and “every year, nearly 9 million people under the age of 25 get a new STI (sexually transmitted infection). One of these infections is HIV/AIDS. Yet according to the ACHA (American College Health Association), at Cal State East Bay only 37.5 % reported ever being tested for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.

In spite of this, there are still some who savor sex as an act of value in a relationship. As Douda Zalle states, “The words ‘lets have sex’ should not come from either of you. Sex comes with time, and it helps strengthen a relationship. When people become friends like that, they get to know each other. It’s kind of funny, but when people get naked together they feel closer to each other than they ever felt before.”

However, finding someone to be in a committed and honest relationship is not always easy, which means using protection or abstinence is the best way to avoid health threats. According to the College Media Network, “One in four college students has an STD, this works out to 50% of people getting an STD at some time in their life.” At Cal State East Bay, the ACHA (American College Health Association) states only 0.6 percent of students having reported an STD in the last 12 months

Yet, Cal State East Bay offers services in the Health Center, such as free sexual health counseling, free condoms, free HIV testing, and Family PACTS, which is a program that pays for services such as family planning and birth control if you make under $1,800 per month.

There are those who believe that sex isn’t an expectation of a relationship, as Jermaine Alexander points out, “I think sex can hinder a relationship if you have it too soon, because if you don’t really get to know a person and you’ve already had sex, you become more attracted to the sex and not the person. I now believe that loving someone before sex is more important.”

Although sex has been a mainstream pastime for lustful college students, there is gamble to your health when you decide to hop into bed with just anyone. For this reason, taking precautions when it comes to sex should always be forefront, but maybe seeing sex as a dangerous behavior will have you looking a little harder for that special someone.