Before you decide to have sex or if you are already having sex, you need to know how to stay healthy. Even if you think you know everything you need to know about sex, take a few minutes and read on. Your doctor wants to make sure you know the facts. Sex can change your life and relationships. Having sex may affect the way you feel about yourself or how others feel about you. Many teens believe waiting until they are ready to have sex is important.
Parents who talk about safe sex with their teens may have a positive impact, even if they're not always sure the message is getting through. This is especially true for teenage girls who chat with their moms, a new study suggests. Researchers from North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reviewed medical literature including 52 previous articles on the topic that spanned 30 years of research and included more than 25, adolescents. Their analysis found that parent-adolescent communication about sex had a small but significant positive effect on safer sex behavior in teens, increasing their likelihood of using condoms and contraceptives.
Many young people engage in sexual risk behaviors and experiences that can result in unintended health outcomes. Half of the 20 million new STDs reported each year were among young people aged 15 to 24 3. Nearly , babies were born to teen girls aged 15—19 years in
The only safe sex is no sex, according to most healthcare providers. Abstinence may be the only true form of "safe" sex. All forms of sexual contact carry some risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents start talking to children about their bodies and sex, at an age-appropriate level, when they first ask where babies come from.