Teenage years are also a time of awakening sexuality, coming perhaps at a time when yours has calmed down. What follows is an article written by teenagers for teenagers.

Teenagers and Sex

This is to all teenagers, those sexually active, those considering it, and those who care to read. Sex is truly a serious subject, though society has made it more of a joke.   Television, movies, radio, books, sales campaigns, and so forth have lessened the seriousness of sexual activity to today’s youth. Songs like The Bad Touch by The Bloodhound Gang (the discovery channel song) has made sex seem like a joke. My point being it’s not.

 With becoming sexually active, you have to take into consideration the consequences of it.  HIV/Aids, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases; these are only a small few of the many possibilities with carelessness while being active.  Reputation is highly effected by choosing to become sexually active or promiscuous (sleeping around). Most reputations can be dramatically altered by sex, most often, negatively. I personally know a girl who has experienced plenty from her choice of becoming active. She had been torn quite painfully (When loosing their virginity, most girls experience pain when the stretched skin over the cervix, called a hymen, is penetrated during intercourse). She ended up going to her doctor because she had experienced pain afterwards, it turned out that she had contracted the sexually transmitted disease of Chlamydia.

(If you are not sure what Chlamydia is, please go to http://www.sexeclinic.com/sexually_transmitted_diseases/chlamydia.htm) Along with contracting the STD, she had become susceptible to other illnesses, where she caught the flu.  It was difficult for her to get rid of the flu; meanwhile she was taking antibiotics to clear up the Chlamydia. Later she had found out that one of her ovaries was damaged, and that she might have complications in having a child.   

 Even after she had become healthy again, she still had to face plenty of discouragement from her peers. She only had the support of her boyfriends and other sexually active girls like she. The students labeled her at her school so did her once known friends and family. She became depressed, taking medication to ease the depression. To this day, she will tell you that she regrets loosing her virginity so young. 
  If you do choose to become active, you must take responsibility and caution. You must take under consideration contraception. For women, there are a number of different products.   There are oral contraceptives (the pill), Depo-Provera (the shot), diaphragm, and many others. And other “safe sex” would be the most common, worn by men, the condom.  Remember, the safest way of staying STD-free and not becoming pregnant is by not having sex.  
 Ineffective methods most used by teenagers to prevent pregnancy are some of the following; “Withdraw” (also known as pulling out), this is not effective because when the guy decides to remove his penis before ejaculation, some semen is already released during pre-ejaculation.  “Estimation”, is ineffective because one cannot know precisely when they can or cannot become pregnant by guessing the days.  What do you call people who use the rhythm method?  PARENTS.  And the most common of ineffective birth control mentioned here, clothing.  Some teenagers have thought that by having sex, while still wearing their underwear, will keep them from becoming pregnant. Not at all true. If the guy ejaculated, it can easily go through fabric.

 So know this, sexual activeness will change your life.  I cannot guarantee positive nor negative reaction and responses to your decision. Being a teenager, your body is still developing, still growing and maturing.  It is dangerous to be risking harm to your body at young ages.  Sex isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be either. It won’t feel like they say it will on television or in song lyrics.  When you’re at a young age, sex is just like masturbating just with someone else. It doesn’t feel amazing, or incredible, it may not feel great at all.  

 Sex can also lead many teenagers to depression. In many cases of teen depression, it has sadly led to suicide.  Those who have coped may take anti-depressants (medication, in example; Prozac, Welbutrin) and/or have sessions with a counselor.

 So before you, as a teenager, make the decision whether to have sex, be sure you know everything you can.  You should talk to people, ask questions, and read. Be aware of the risks involved.  And be sure you have the appropriate contraception. Do not just walk into a store and grab the first package of Trojan condoms just because they’re closest to the checkout counter. Read the package and make sure you know what is in store when you buy the product. I will also advise to using a condom even if the birth control pill is being used.

 I hope you have listened and are aware of what could happen.  Take the advice from one teenager to another, one who has lived a long life in little time. And if you have any concerns, comments, or questions having to do with this article, the advisors on this site would be more than happy to help you out.

By Darcy And RJ and thanks to www.adviseforallages.org/articles/teenagersandsex.htm

The key here is communication--very clear, well thought out ,communication. Explain why you are doing what you are doing. Try not to lose it--very difficult. Be prepared to listen to what your teenager is saying. This means really listening,not clouding your mind with things imagined and/or real that happened to you or your friends or that you have been told by media. It is now that you relearn the art of negotiation.