Did you know?

Did you know that...

Statistics on Teen Sex

• Nationally, more than half of teenagers are virgins until they are at least 17 years of age (Sex and America's Teenagers, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1994)
• In the U.S., 7 in 10 women who had sex before age 14, and 6 in 10 of those who had sex before age 15 report having had sex involuntarily. (Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996)
• Nationally, one-quarter of 15 year old females and less than 30% of 15 year old males have had sex, compared with 66% of 18 year old females, and 68% of 18 year old males who have had sexual intercourse. (A Statistical Portrait of Adolescent Sex, Contraception, and Childbearing, National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Washington, DC, 1998).

Statistics on Teen pregnancy

• Nationally, nearly one million young women under age 20 become pregnant each year. That means close to 2800 teens get pregnant each day.( Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).
• Approximately 4 in 10 young women in the U.S. become pregnant at least once before turning 20 years old.( Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Pregnancy, The Alan Guttmacher Institute, New York, 1996).

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Teens

• In the U.S., 1 in 4 sexually active teens become infected with an STD every year.2 Some common STDs are chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc.
• 134,000 new cases of syphilis are occurring each year, the highest infection rate in 40 years.
• 1.3 million new gonorrhea cases occur annually.
• 24 million new cases of human papilloma virus (HPV) occur annually, including a high percentage among teens.
• 63% of all sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases occur among people less than 25 years of age.
• Condoms provide virtually no protection against an STD called the human papillloma virus (HPV). HPV is the most common medical problem seen by gynecologists and causes almost all cervical cancer in the U.S. 80% of people who have a sexually transmitted disease experience no noticeable sypmtoms. (Moscicki, B., et al, "The Use and Limitations of Endocervical Gram Stains...," American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 157:1, July, 1987)
• Condoms have a poor record for prevention of pregnancy, with failure rates of up to 13% or more per year. (Jones, E.F., and Forrest, J.D., "Contraceptive Failure in the United States: Revised Estimates...," Family Planning Perspectives, 21:3, May/June 1989)
• A meta-analysis of condom effectiveness from in vivo studies by Dr. Susan Weller suggests a 31% failure rate in preventing HIV transmission. (Weller, Susan, "A Meta-Analysis of Condom Effectiveness in Reducing Sexually Transmitted HIV," Social Science and Medicine, 36:12, 1993)

If it sounds disgusting, imagine having it!

Sex, Lies and HIV

• 34% of men and 10% of women have told lies in order to have sex.
• 68% of men and 59% of women have been involved with more than one person that their current partner doesn¹t know about.
• 47% of men and 42% of women would understate the number of their previous partners in order to convince someone to have sex."Sex, Lies and HIV," The New England Journal of Medicine, (March 15, 1990) -- the results of a study of 665 southern California college students .

Facts on Reproductive Rights, from the National Organization for Women

• The Pill fails 6.2% of the time.
• The condom fails 14.2% of the time.
• The diaphragm fails 15.6% of the time.
• Spermicide fails 26.3% of the time.

More statistics and opinions

• Almost 70% of teens regret having had sex as early as they did.
• Ninety-four percent of teens say they want a strong message to abstain until at least after high school.
• Guys are less and less accepting of casual sex - the proportion of adolescent males aged 17-19 who approve of premarital sex when a couple does not plan to marry decreased from 80% in 1988 to 71% in 1995.
• 60% of college freshmen disagree that hooking up with a casual acquaintance is okay.
• You know drugs and alcohol change your perspective and that they can cause you to make really bad decisions about sex. Using alcohol, cigarettes, and/or illicit drugs significantly increases the likelihood that boys and girls will begin having sexual intercourse before age 16. And teens 15 and older who drink are seven times likelier to have sexual intercourse and twice as likely to have it with four or more partners than non-drinking teens. More than one-half of teens (53%) say the main reason teens do not use protection is because of drinking or using drugs.
• More than one-half of teens (52%) surveyed recently said that one of the main reasons that teens do not use birth control is because their partners don't want to.(www.stayteen.org)

MTV's Its Your (Sex) Life

1. TAKE YOUR TIME

• Abstinence is effective in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, but only works if you don't have sex of any kind.
• It is impossible for someone to read your mind. Don't expect your partner to magically know what you want.
• Acknowledge that this may be difficult to talk about. Reveal your own level of comfort. For example say, "This isn't easy for me to talk about, but it's something that I've been thinking about a lot."
• Request permission to bring up the topic. Be sensitive to when it may or may not be appropriate to discuss (e.g. not right before an organic chemistry final exam or just as your partner is falling asleep).
• Give your partner permission to say something that might be upsetting to you by allowing him or her to finish talking before you talk. Listen to what your partner is saying before responding.
• Respect your partner's attitudes, values and feelings about sex even though they may be very different from yours.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe or coerced into doing or saying something, stop and remove yourself from the situation.

2. Talk about it

• It is important to be able to talk about sex with your partner. Direct conversations can be uncomfortable but get easier if you know your facts.
• Choose a time and place for your talk that is relaxed and comfortable, before you are intimate (that means before you take your clothes off!).
• Start off on a positive note. Let your partner know that you really care about him or her and that's why you want to talk.
• Be up front and direct about your feelings and what you feel comfortable doing now. If you are feeling a little embarrassed or shy, take heart - most people feel that way in this kind of situation, so don't let that hold you back.
• If both of you decide you want to have a sexual relationship, start off by getting tested together. You should also discuss with your health care provider what STDs you should be screened for.
• If at anytime, you change your mind it's always okay to hold off. Remember: It's Your (Sex) Life.
• If one of you has an STD, it is important to be honest at the start - both for your partner's well-being as well as yours. Having an STD doesn't mean you can't have a relationship, just that you may need to take precautions.

3. Use protection

• Even if you are using other forms of birth control like the Pill, the Shot and the Patch, the only way to protect yourself against HIV and other STDs.

4. Get tested

• An estimated one in four people who have HIV in the United States do not know they are infected. Getting tested for HIV is confidential and quick!