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Teen sexual health is about how sex affects your physical and emotional health: knowing how to form healthy relationships and making decisions about sex that are right for you. As your body changes in puberty, so do how you think, feel and relate to others — including new feelings about sex. Whether you choose to have sex or wait, taking responsibility means knowing about sexually transmitted infections, birth control and healthy relationships.
Sexually transmitted infections
STIs, or STDs, are caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites passed from person to person, usually during vaginal, oral or anal sex; some spread by skin-to-skin contact. Untreated, some cause long-term health problems. There are more than 20 types, including chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, HIV, HPV, pubic lice, syphilis and trichomoniasis.
STIs often cause no symptoms, so you can have one — and pass it on — without knowing. Only testing tells for sure.
Lowering the risk
The most reliable way to avoid STIs is not having vaginal, oral or anal sex — and saying "no" is the right choice for many teens. If you do have sex, safer sex lowers the risk:
- Talk with your partner about preventing STIs, and both get tested first. If you can't talk about STIs, you aren't ready for sex.
- Get the HPV vaccine — possible between ages 9 and 26.
- Use condoms correctly every time:
- external (male) latex condoms give the best protection; if either of you is allergic to latex, use polyurethane;
- internal (female) condoms, made of nitrile, may protect less well against STIs;
- don't use both kinds together — that makes them more likely to rip.
- Use a dental dam (a square of latex, polyurethane or nitrile) during oral sex.
- Have sex with only one partner who has sex only with you — after you've both been tested.
- Don't mix alcohol or drugs with sex; you need a clear head to make safer choices.
Preventing pregnancy
The only sure way is not to have vaginal sex. Otherwise, birth control helps, and there are many kinds — your health care provider can help you choose. Condoms are the only method that also protects against STIs, but they aren't the most effective birth control on their own, so it's safest to use condoms plus another method.
Healthy relationships
Healthy sex starts with a healthy relationship. Take an honest look at how you treat each other.
| May be healthy | May be unhealthy |
|---|---|
| Respect — you value each other's feelings, and neither pressures the other | Jealousy and control — one makes all the decisions and keeps the other from friends and family |
| Trust and honesty — you tell the truth and trust each other to do the same | Disrespect — one mocks the other's ideas and feelings |
| Good communication — you can talk openly about feelings, STIs and other relationships, and you both listen | Pressure — one bullies the other into sexual things they don't want |
| Violence — hitting, shoving, grabbing and sexual assault never belong in a relationship |
If you don't know how to leave a violent relationship, get help. Your decisions about sex can affect your future health — know the facts, and decide what is right for you.
Sources
Based on "Teen Sexual Health," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine; a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Лицензия: CC0 1.0 (общественное достояние) · По материалам medlineplus.gov
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