Sometimes it feels like everyone’s trying to push you into having sex: your friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, films and TV. But it’s up to you when you have sex, and it’s OK to say no.
Did you know, the average age for men and women to lose their virginity is between 16 and 17 years old in the UK.
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It might help you to remember that:
- being in love or fancying someone doesn’t mean that you have to have sex
- not having sex is not a sign that you’re immature
- saying no to sex is not bad for anyone’s health
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Having sex for the first time is a big decision. It is important that you think about what’s right for you.
Your partner may put pressure on you to have sex by saying things like ‘if you loved me, you would have sex with me’ or ‘I’ll dump you if you don’t do it’.
It may feel like everyone is doing it but actually 2/3 of young people in Scotland wait till they are over 16 before having sex.
In Britain the legal age to have sex is 16 years for men and women. You can find out more information on sex and the law from visiting: Young Scot
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Are you ready?
Before you choose to have sex with someone ask yourself these questions:
- Can you trust each other?
- Do you have strong feelings for each other?
- Do you respect each other?
- Can you talk to each other about your worries and concerns?
- Do you feel relaxed and happy together?
- Do they like you for who you are?
- Can you have a laugh with them?
- Do you both know what you want and what you don’t want?
- Will you respect each other’s privacy by not telling all your mates?
- Have you planned how you are going to protect yourself against sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy.
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It’s good to talk to your partner about sex, you will need to do that to answer some of these questions. It may be a bit embarrassing but it’s worth it.
If your answer is no to any of these questions, you might want to ask yourself, “is now the right time?”
For more information please visit:
Brook