Sexual Health & Experience
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.
- 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
Pleasure, Virginity & 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, or 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:
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:
Below are links PAMF accessed when researching this topic. PAMF does not sponsor or endorse any of these sites, nor does PAMF guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on them.
Sexual Risk Behavior: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Teen Sexual Health, Medline Plus.
STD Wizard: It takes 5 minutes to find out if you need to be tested for an STI such as hepatitis, HIV or Chlamydia.
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