Teenagers and sexual intercourse: Protecting your teen’s sexual wellness

Teenagers and sexual intercourse can be a dangerous mix. Obtain out how to chat to your teen about abstinence and contraception.

By Mayo Clinic Personnel

Couple of mothers and fathers want to face the thought that their teenagers are owning sexual intercourse — but investigate displays that several teenagers are sexually energetic by higher school, probably placing on their own at hazard of being pregnant and sexually transmitted bacterial infections (STIs). When it arrives to teenagers and sexual intercourse, the important is discussing the value of contraception right before sexual activity starts.

Communicate about risk-free sexual intercourse with your teen even if he or she identifies as homosexual. He or she may even now have interaction in heterosexual things to do, and is at hazard of STIs irrespective of the spouse with whom he or she engages in sexual activity.

Promoting abstinence

When broaching the matter of teenagers and sexual intercourse, it is in no way much too late to chat about abstinence. Whether you sense strongly that sexual intercourse right before relationship is mistaken or you merely want your teen to postpone sexual intercourse until eventually he or she is more experienced, clarify your emotions to your teen. If you share the factors behind your beliefs, your teen may be more likely to comprehend and undertake your values.

Also ask your teen to believe about his or her own values and hopes for the foreseeable future — and contemplate how sexual intercourse could impact them. Describe that:

  • Teenagers and sexual intercourse can be a dangerous mix
  • There are several nonsexual strategies he or she can present emotions for somebody
  • The only positive way to reduce teen being pregnant and STIs, these types of as chlamydia, gonorrhea, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and HIV, is to abstain from sexual intercourse — oral, vaginal and anal

Speaking about birth handle selections

Knowledge birth handle solutions is an crucial life ability for everyone. Whether your teen decides to have sexual intercourse or hold out, make positive your teen understands how to reduce being pregnant and defend himself or herself from sexually transmitted bacterial infections.

Condoms

Strain the value of always applying condoms through sexual intercourse, even if your teen is applying a second type of contraception.

  • Constant and right use of condoms is the most successful way for sexually energetic teenagers to defend on their own from sexually transmitted bacterial infections.
  • Condoms assist reduce being pregnant.

Prescription birth handle

Various prescription contraceptives can assist reduce teen being pregnant. The American Faculty of Obstetricians and Gynecologists encourages adolescents to contemplate lengthy-acting reversible contraception very first — like intrauterine gadgets and contraceptive implants — as these selections are extremely successful with very little assumed demanded.

Prescription birth handle selections that assist reduce teen being pregnant include things like:

  • Intrauterine gadgets (Mirena, Skyla, Paragard)
  • A contraceptive implant (Nexplanon)
  • Combination birth handle capsules
  • The contraceptive patch (Xulane)
  • The vaginal ring (NuvaRing)
  • The contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera)

Your teen will want to see a medical doctor to get a prescription for these types of contraceptives. Prior to scheduling the appointment, discover out if she would favor to see a woman medical doctor.

Describe to your teen that the medical doctor likely will:

  • Evaluate professional medical historical past
  • Go in excess of the risks and advantages of distinct types of birth handle

The medical doctor will also conduct a pelvic examination if your teen chooses an intrauterine contraception technique.

Make positive your teen understands that prescription birth handle is just not a alternative for condoms. Prescription birth handle will help reduce being pregnant, but it would not present defense from sexually transmitted bacterial infections.

Unexpected emergency birth handle

Describe to your teen that it is always a great thought to make a determination about birth handle right before owning sexual intercourse. Nonetheless, crisis contraception — these types of as the morning-following capsule levonorgestrel (Prepare B Just one-Step, Subsequent Selection Just one Dose, Get Motion) or ulipristal (ella) — can assist reduce being pregnant if your teen would not plan ahead or contraception fails.

  • Prepare B Just one-Step is out there in excess of-the-counter with no a prescription.
  • Subsequent Selection Just one Dose and Get Motion, are out there in excess of-the-counter for those age 17 and more mature and by prescription for women more youthful than age 17.
  • Ella is out there only with a prescription from your medical doctor or wellness treatment provider.

Make positive your teen understands that crisis contraception will have to be started off as quickly as achievable following unprotected intercourse. The faster the capsules are taken, the more likely they are to be successful, however they may be taken up to 5 times (one hundred twenty several hours) following unprotected intercourse.

Pure household planning

If use of contraception goes in opposition to your values, you could contemplate speaking to your teen about natural household planning, which includes abstaining from sexual intercourse through a woman’s most fertile times.

Preserve this in head:

  • Pure household planning solutions aren’t as successful as prescription birth handle and will not present defense from sexually transmitted bacterial infections.
  • Effective use of natural household planning solutions demands diligence and planning — and teen sexual intercourse is normally unplanned.
  • Teen women typically have irregular menstrual cycles, which can make it complicated to assess fertility indicators.

Will not be concerned that speaking to your teen about contraception will motivate him or her to have sexual intercourse. Your teen is likely curious about sexual intercourse and contraception, whether or not you deliver up the matter. By staying open and honest, you can assist your teen make knowledgeable choices and act more responsibly when he or she decides to have sexual intercourse — whether it is now or several years in the foreseeable future.

If you are owning problems speaking to your teen about contraception, ask your teen’s medical doctor for assist. He or she may present advice on how to chat to your teen and accurately remedy questions about contraception.

Encouraging liable actions

Teenagers may absence the maturity to thoroughly and continually use specific types of contraception. If your teen is considering about applying prescription birth handle, make positive to clarify the next to assist her pick a technique:

  • Frequency of use and convenience. For occasion, mix birth handle capsules want to be taken at the similar time every single day, though NuvaRing is worn for 3 weeks at a time.
  • Monitoring doctor’s appointments and birth handle use. Describe the value of preserving keep track of of doctor’s appointments and talk about how to construct birth handle use section of her regimen — these types of as by getting a each day mix birth handle capsule at the similar time your teen gets ready for bed.
  • Missed doses. Make positive your daughter understands what to do if she misses a dose or suspects that she may be expecting.

If your teen is looking at turning out to be sexually energetic, you could also deliver simple recommendations — these types of as preserving condoms in a wallet or purse. Describe to your teen that use of alcohol and other medicines may impact his or her judgment and increase the hazard of contracting a sexually transmitted infection.

The base line

Speaking about sexual intercourse and contraception with your teen is just not uncomplicated. Nonetheless, your assistance can assist your teen make knowledgeable selections that assist defend his or her sexual wellness.