Sexual Health and Experience

Your Sexual Health

Everyone is sexual. What that means, exactly, is the purpose of this section of our site. You may have questions about how your body is changing into that of an adult, or about the feelings and emotions you have. It's all natural, and your reactions to these changes are under your control. To make it all easier, learn what you can. Talk to your parents, other adults you trust, friends or your doctor. Make safe decisions about how you express your sexuality, and you will be fine. If you do not find the answers to your questions on this Web site, talk to your parents or a doctor.

Sexuality is an important aspect of life, and adolescence is a critical period in the development of sexual values, attitudes, and behavior. The advent of puberty, the power of peer-group expectations, and the communication of mixed messages about sex make dealing with sexuality a difficult but exciting challenge for adolescents.

The Basics

• You Have the Right To Know -- Sexual Health Privacy and Confidentiality Rights for Teens
• Protecting Yourself from STIs
• Teen Thoughts about Sex
• Pregnancy / Abortion
• Birth Control - Withdrawal and Contraception

Pleasure, Virginity and Sexual Responsibility

The question, "Am I ready to have sex?" doesn't have an easy answer. There are many things to consider and many responsibilities that come with having sex. We encourage you to talk with a parent, guardian, doctor, teacher, older sister, older brother, someone with knowledge that might help you to think your decision through. We do understand that talking about sex may be uncomfortable for you. But having someone available to answer your specific questions and someone who understands you can be a tremendous help when deciding "if" you'll have sex. The following pages might be of help by providing you with things to consider.

• Virginity and the First Time
• Masturbation

When Sex Turns Ugly

Sex, in itself, is not a bad thing -- in fact sex can feel really good. But some bad things can happen if you have unsafe sex or sex when you are not emotionally ready to handle the responsibility of having sex. The consequences of having sex that is unsafe (i.e., allowing exchange of bodily fluids) or sex that is not based on respect and mutual readiness (i.e., both people have thought and talked about it) include:

• Sexually transmitted infections(STIs)
• Rape, Sexual Assault, and Sexual harassment -- Unwanted advances

Last reviewed January 2009