Teen Advice - Let's Talk About Sex!

Your Body

1. You can get pregnant (and boys, you may not carry the baby, but you still "get pregnant").
2. The only forms of birth control that work with any reliability for the inexperienced are; condoms, birth control pills (taken for at least a month before), female condoms, sponge, spermicide, depro-provera (given by a doctor well in advance), norplant (minor surgery required well in advance), IUD and diaphram (both need a doctor).
3. Rythm and Cycles require some real experience and are NOT for first timers.
4. Standing up right away or jumping up and down will not prevent pregnancy.
5. You can get an STD, and even AIDS, the first time.
6. Only condoms (female and male), preferably with a spermicide, can give you any protection against STDs and AIDS.
7. The only 100% perfect protection against AIDS, STDs, or pregnancy (for adults and teens) is NOT having sex.
8. You probably won't know what you are doing or if you are doing it "right" - try not to worry too much about it, as long as it is consentual there is no one "right" way.
9. Your body may not cooperate, even if your mind wants to be having sex, your body will have an opinion too.
10. You can change your mind and say "NO" whenever you want to before doing it - just because you agreed to have sex doesn't mean you have to go through with it.

Your Feelings

1. It will NOT go the way you plan, it is best to plan only the birth control, time and place.
2. If you are a girl; it will not feel very good - if you are a boy; it will be over so fast you won't know for sure how it felt.
3. You WILL be nervous and maybe a little scared - not necessarily in a bad way.
4. You will feel different about yourself and the other person - not necessarily in a bad way
.
5. You will NOT suddenly be a woman or a man.
6. You may feel guilty that you are actually wanting to have sex - try to remember sex is perfectly natural and normal and not something to feel guilty about.
7. As long as you know you are ready, and care about the person you are with, you will enjoy yourself.
8. If you don't respect your partner, or you know they don't resepct you, you will have regrets.
9. If you love, or are loved by your partner, you may still have regrets.
10. Regrets are normal. You have lost something - your virginity - it is natural and normal to mourn that loss.