What do you do if you feel pressured to have sex?

It is hard to resist peer pressure but there are certain things that are worth resisting for the benefit of your future. Make sure you choose friends that share your values and won’t pressure you or make you feel stupid about the decisions you make. Saving sex is one of the most important decisions you can make for yourself. Someone pressuring you to have sex is being selfish and is seeking to gratify their own desires, without your best interest at heart. Here are some practical ways to resist pressure-filled situations:

• Build strong friendships. Surround yourself with people who build you up, not bring you down. People that will keep you accountable for the positive, yet challenging decisions you have made.
• Don’t invite your girlfriend or boyfriend over when your parents aren’t home, or when it is late at night.
• Try to go out in groups and plan what you will do on your dates.
• Have boundaries set in place before the date. Decide how far you plan to go emotionally and physically

Is oral sex really sex? Can you get a disease from oral sex?

Oral sex, stimulating the sex organs with the mouth and tongue to obtain sexual pleasure IS sex. Although you cannot get pregnant from having oral sex, you can contract Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, Chlamydia, HPV, and even HIV. Oral sex is an intimate act that bonds a couple both emotionally and physically.

How effective are condoms?

When it comes to STDs the effectiveness of condoms varies for each disease. In the case of HPV, if you always use condoms for vaginal sex, you can cut your chance of getting HPV by about half. To date, there is no evidence that condoms reduce your chance of getting HPV during oral or anal sex. HPV can be contracted through genital skin-to-skin contact (rubbing genitals together). A condom only protects a portion of the genital area, leaving you at risk for contracting HPV and other STDs.

How can you contract an STD?

• Sexual Intercourse with an infected partner
• Sharing needles
• Genital skin-to-skin contact
• Anal sex
• Blood transfusion
• Heavy kissing

How dangerous are STDs?

STDs are dangerous. If someone is engaging in any form of sexual activity (oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse, or genital skin-to-skin contact) they are at risk for contracting an STD. There are two types of STDs-viral and bacterial. Bacterial infections can be cured if they are treated in time. If the disease is not caught at an early stage it can cause long-term damage in a person’s body. Unlike bacterial infections, viral infections are not curable and remain with you for life. HIV/AIDS is an example of a viral STD and is not curable. In most cases AIDS leads to death.

How often do teens get STDs?

Studies show that 1 in 4 sexually active teenagers contract an STD. In 2004, it was estimated that in the year 2000 there were:

• 18.9 million new cases of STDs
• 68 million total cases of STDs (a combination of new and chronic cases)

Since this study, the number of new cases is only growing.
About half of new cases occurred among 15-24 year olds. Three STDs (Human Papilloma Virus, Trichomoniasis, and Chlamydia) accounted for 88% of all new cases of STD among 15 to 24 year olds

So are you saying that there is no safe sex, because of the many diseases you can get?

The only "safe sex" is in a committed marriage relationship. There is no guarantee of physical, emotional, or mental safety with any other form of sex.

When you have sex and the guy pulls out, is there a possibility for the girl to get pregnant?

Yes, a woman can get pregnant even when ejaculation doesn’t occur within the vagina. This is because pre-ejaculation fluid may contain sperm.

Withdrawal of the penis from the vagina before ejaculation is one of the oldest methods of birth control. The failure (pregnancy) rate is high. About 20 % to 25 % of women who rely on the withdrawal method become pregnant each year.

What is renewed abstinence?

Renewed abstinence, also known as secondary virginity, is a term for a person who has been sexually active in the past but makes the decision not to have sex again until marriage. Anyone, at any time, can decide to stop having sex and wait for marriage. This decision will eliminate your chances of getting a sexually transmitted disease from that point forward and will eliminate unexpected pregnancy and possible emotional consequences.

Why should I wait for sex?

Okay, everyone should be excited about having sex…someday. But the truth is that sex outside a committed relationship like marriage is likely to bring forth physical, mental, and/or emotional consequences. Every person has physical, mental and emotional components that make up who they are. Because of this, sex isn’t what you do, it’s who you are. Let’s take a look at each of these components in more detail.

Physical
Imagine making out with someone you aren’t even comfortable sharing your straw with. Picture messing around with someone you may not remember in a few months. How we use our body communicates a message to others. We are physical beings, created to give and receive love, to be intimate and show affection through touch. How far is too far? It’s easy for relationships to get too physical too fast and before you know it, you’ve given a big part of yourself away to someone you barely know.

Making the decision to postpone sex can protect your body from being misused. "Back in the day" people would go out on dates and get to know each other long before even kissing. Today, it seems that the opposite is true; getting to know someone equals having sex. Don’t give your kisses away for free. Value your sexual health and treat your body with care, so you can lead a sexual disease & unplanned pregnancy-free life.

Mental
Today’s STDs are affecting teens in epidemic proportions not just physically, but psychologically as well. An epidemic is a disease that appears at a rate that substantially exceeds what is "expected". Teens make up a large percentage of this STD epidemic because their bodies and minds are not ready for sex at such a young age, often leaving them more susceptible to future consequences than adults. Mentally alone, the anxiety of awaiting an STD or pregnancy test result can be more than a teen is capable of handling. These days most teen’s schedules are packed with homework, sports, practices, friends, and other activities. To add a sexual relationship to the mix, may only increase stress.

Many teens we have spoken to have expressed their inability to cope after having a sexual relationship. Jackie, a fifteen year old girl says, "If you break up with a guy you didn’t have sex with, so what? You can walk away free. But if you break up with a guy you did have sex with, it stays on your mind. You worry over it in a haunting way." Unfortunately there are other teens like Jackie who suffer emotional consequences as a result of having sex too soon. Other possible effects may include depression, self doubt, low self-esteem, guilt, suicidal thoughts or regret.

Emotional
Do you think having sex will bring you closer to your boyfriend or girlfriend? Have you ever felt so torn up after a break-up with someone you were intimate with? Both guys and girls alike are giving in to sex before they are ready and often end up emotionally broken as a result. There is a scientifically proven reason why this "emotional tearing" takes place between two people. There is a chemical called oxytocin produced in the brain by the pituitary gland. Oxytocin naturally causes bonding. During sexual arousal and intercourse, this "human superglue" is released in both men and women, often creating an unbreakable intimacy. If two people do breakup after having sex, it is like pulling apart two papers that have been glued together. Pieces of one person will forever remain with the other. Individuals who become bonded to multiple persons can decrease the power of oxytocin and its bonding capability. Any sexual activity outside of marriage can alter "sexual bonding" in the future by prematurely releasing this chemical "superglue."