Though we’ve been led to believe otherwise by movies and dramatic episodes of Dawson’s Creek, let’s face it—sex can be awkward.

Instead of perfect lighting that makes you look hotter than Heidi Klum, you have your date’s lava lamp casting a faint glow on your cellulite. You don’t always fall effortlessly into bed, your bodies completely in sync. Sometimes you have to move your cat, half-eaten can of Pringles, and dog-eared copy of “He’s Just Not That Into You” out of the way first.

Passionate tearing off of clothing? Sure, sometimes.

But then there are those times where he’s fumbling with your bra clasp for so long that you don’t even help him because you’re curious to see how long it’ll take.

And then there’s another awkward, very critical part of sex—one that is more often than not, completely ignored in television and movies. The condom. And according to a new study, apparently the whole “disease and pregnancy-free” concept is so awkward for some, that, hell, they just ignore it all together!

According to the UK’s Daily Mail, Brits are so embarrassed to talk about condoms, that a third of them don’t use one at all—and it looks like STI cases have been rising in the UK. You make the connection.

I’m not trying to preach here, believe me. I don’t exactly whip out a dental dam over a candle-lit dinner and fling it in the middle of the table. And I may or may not hide my box of condoms under the new issue of US Weekly in my shopping cart. But when it comes down to it, if we think of ourselves as mature enough to HAVE sex, shouldn’t we be mature to acknowledge that fact that we’re having sex by at least briefly mentioning the use of a condom in the near future?

Sure, talking about it is a little embarrassing. But so is waking up with herpes.