Pelvic inflammatory disease can result from an STD in a young woman, causing risk of sterility. Recent data indicate that about 100,000 young people under the age of 21 are infected with the virus. And according to the Centers for Disease Control, two young people are infected with HIV every hour. Since teens may be symptom-free for many years even though they are infected with the virus, they may also go untreated for an extended period of time. Peer pressure to have sex can be quite intense among some groups of teens and the importance of being part of the crowd may outweigh the reasons to delay sexual activity.
Many teens think they're special and somehow invincible to harm.
And some girls are afraid to ask their partners to use condoms because they are embarrassed or fear losing a boyfriend. Conversations about sexuality are not easy for some parents, but continually checking in on this topic throughout the teen years is a must. Keep the lines of communication open - avoid lecturing and emphasize listening to your teen's concerns. Let your teen know directly that you believe he or she should avoid having sexual intercourse, and that abstaining from sex is the only certain way of avoiding an STD or HIV infection. Discuss your values about the context in which sex should occur.