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Risks of not waiting
Are you ready for sex? Deciding not to have sex until you get married is the most important decision you will make as a teen. Having sex while you are a teen is not a good idea. You can become pregnant or get a painful sexually transmitted infection (STI). Becoming pregnant is a huge responsibility. Getting an STI is a horrible thing to worry about, and it could be life threatening. If you are thinking about having sex, you should know the risks.
Unwanted pregnancy
Despite the recently declining teen pregnancy rates, some teen girls are still getting pregnant. There are about 750,000 teen pregnancies a year. Shock, fear, panic, and distress are often the immediate reactions to an unplanned pregnancy. If you get pregnant, remember you need to take care of yourself. Be sure to see your doctor. Don't be afraid to talk to your parents, grandparents, or school counselor. These people care about you and want the best for you.
Having a baby while you are a teen can be very hard. Do you know . . .
- Teen mothers are less likely to complete school and more likely to be single parents.
- There are serious health risks for teenage girls who have babies.
- Teen pregnancy is closely linked to poverty and single parenthood.
It’s pretty hard to go to college and be a mother at the same time. Your dreams are almost always delayed or denied. What’s totally unfair is that the boy usually goes to college and completes his goals on time. Teen mothers may go to college, but usually later. It’s just not worth it. The stakes are too high!
Be aware of STIs
STIs, including HIV/AIDS, are a huge problem for young people. One in four teens who has sex gets an STI.
In 2005, there were about 2.3 million people under the age of 15 living with HIV. If your partner has HIV and you have sex, then you could become infected. Condoms decrease the risk, but they are not 100 percent effective. There is also no cure for HIV.
If you have already been sexually active, you should have a gynecological examination. Don't let embarrassment at the thought of having an STI keep you from seeking medical attention. Waiting to see a doctor may allow a disease to progress and cause more damage. If you think you may have an STI, or if you have had a partner who may have an STI, you should see a doctor right away. You should also ALWAYS use condoms if you have sex. Condoms reduce the risk of pregnancies and most STIs.
It wasn’t really sex?
Some teens think they are practicing abstinence by not having sexual intercourse – WRONG! Oral sex, anal sex, mutual masturbation, and other similar activities do not qualify as abstinence. If you are involved in these practices, you are fooling yourself if you think you are not having sex. And most of these activities can still result in getting an STI:
- Mutual Masturbation: If semen gets anywhere near the vagina, you can pass on an STI.
- Oral Sex: You can't get pregnant this way, but you can still contract a full range of nasty STIs, such as herpes and chlamydia.
- Anal Sex: It's easier to contract an STI via anal sex, as the anal tissue is more prone to tiny tears so the semen can easily get into your blood.
- "But he just put it in half-way!" or "But he just put it in for a second!" or "But he pulled out before he came!": You are now having sexual intercourse using an ancient method of birth control called withdrawal. Every year one in five users of this method gets pregnant. STIs can also be spread by way of pre-ejaculate/vaginal fluids.
SOURCE: Sanders SA and Reinisch JM, 'Would you say you "had sex" if...?,' Journal of the American Medical Association, 1999, 281(3):275-277.
Content last updated June 18, 2008
