Working safely and healthily
Working safely and healthily
When sex is your job, you do not want to contract sexually transmitted infections. This is why we provide tips for practicing safe sex. Your relationship with a customer is an important aspect of working safely. Respecting your boundaries is very important! This is why we support working safely within your boundaries.
Health consultation
Safe sex
Safe sex means protection yourself and others against contracting sexually transmittable infections (STI’s). This means using condoms during vaginal, anal, and oral sex. Even during blow jobs or cunnilingus using a condom or dental dam is important, as it will protect your mouth and throat from STI’s. If you participate in group sex, you should change condoms between partners.
Sex work and PrEP
When sex is your job, or you occasionally get paid for sex with money or items, you can risk contracting HIV. You can protect yourself from hiv with PrEP. PrEP is short for Pre-Exposure Profylaxe. This means taking hiv-medication to prevent you get infected. For more information visit the page sex work and PrEP.
Broken Condom
When a condom breaks during sex this can be pesky and can result in contracting STI’s or pregnancy. When a condom breaks, it can be quite a shock. A condom can’t just rip, it could also slide off and stay in the vagina or anus.
What to do if a condom breaks or slides off during vaginal sex?
- Go to the toilet as soon as possible. Try to pee as much as possible, as this will flush bacteria out of the vagina.
- Rinse yourself carefully in the shower. Keep the showerhead pointed down and do not rinse the inside of the vagina. This will keep bacteria out of the vagina.
- If you are not using birth control: buy a morning-after pill from the pharmacy and take this as soon as possible after unprotected sex.
- Come to our health consultation, the STI clinic in Utrecht and have yourself tested for STI’s a week after the incident. Get in touch sooner if you have any symptoms or concerns.
What to do if a condom breaks or slides off during anal sex?
Urgently contact the STI clinic Utrecht. If it happens during the weekend, go to the emergency room of a hospital. A doctor will be able to judge if you are able to get a PEP treatment. A PEP treatment reduces the chance of getting infected with HIV.
Healty sex work for men
Are you a male sex worker and would you like more information about sexual contact, health and vaccinations, please visit www.mantotman.nl.
Birth control
If you don’t want to get pregnant, you can use birth control (like the pill) and condoms. By using birth control, you can have sex with your partner without a condom, without getting pregnant. These types of birth control do not offer protection against STI’s.
Types of birth control
There are different types of birth control. Which birth control is right for you depends on your personal circumstances. On these websites you will be able to find more information on the different types of birth control:
Morning-after pill
Did you have unprotected sex and are not on birth control? If you don’t want to get pregnant you can take a morning-after pill. The morning-after pill is also called the emergency pill. You can get this pill from a pharmacy. You do not need a prescription. Emergency pills prevent pregnancy. They work before you get pregnant.
The morning-after pill works for 72 hours after unprotected sex, but it is best taken as soon as possible. The sooner you take the pill, the better. The morning-after pill is available from pharmacies, including Kruidvat and Etos.
STI’s
Because you have changing sexual contacts as a sex worker, we advise you to get tested for STI’s every three months. You can get free, anonymous STI testing at our health consultation.
How do I contract an STI?
An STI can be contracted if there is contact between vagina, penis, mouth or anus, without a condom. You can also get an STI from contact with vaginal secretions, pre-cum, blood or sperm. Often having an STI results in limited or no symptoms. It is still sensible to get treated as soon as possible, as STI’s can have lifelong consequences.
Possible symptoms
Often you do not realise that you have an STI, as you will have little or no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they are often:
- Secreting of pus from the vagina, penis or anus. Woman will secrete more than normal. The secretion can be watery, milky, yellowish, or greenish in colour. It can also smell differently.
- A burning feeling, irritation, or pain during or after urination, or having to pee in small amounts.
- Blisters, warts or sores on the vagina, mouth, penis or anus.
- An itchy sensation in your pubic hair, labia, head of the penis or anus.
- Swollen lymph nodes in your groin.
- Pain in your abdominal region.
- Blood loss during or after sex.
- Pain in one or both testicles.
Working safely within your boundaries
Safety in your work is important, not just to avoid STI’s, but also to respect your own boundaries. Sometimes clients can be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or they want to use drugs with you. Clients sometimes also offer more money for sex without a condom. You can also be confronted with violence or people who will force you to engage in sex work, or make money with sex work.
Tips for working safely
- Decide beforehand where your limits are, and how much you trust this customer.
- Clearly agree with your customer on the activities and payment. Make sure you get paid the agreed amount beforehand.
- Have a phone or email address that is only used for work, this will help keep work and your private life separate.
- If a client doesn’t feel right, you can always reject them for that reason.
- Work in a space that is safe for you, as well as in a place where you won’t be disturbed, or disturb others. Please be aware that in the region of Utrecht it is not allowed to work out of your house, on the street, or in a car.
- Traveling to a client? You can share your live location via WhatsApp with someone you trust. Or you can discuss with a confidant beforehand what they can do if it takes too long for you to get back.
- Always use a condom, even for oral sex.
- Are you in danger? Call 112.
The social workers at Belle have a lot of experience dealing with these topics and will be able to help or support you. Do you have any questions? Please contact us.