Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Abbie Rumbach: The Confession That Blew My Daughter's Mind
PHOTO: Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillipe Reunite
Risky Business: Oral Sex Leads to Intercourse for Teens
Filed under: In The News, Sex, Research Reveals: Teens
In "Juno," Ellen Page and Michael Cera play a couple who get pregnant after having sex for the first time. Credit: Karunpillai/Fox Searchlight
All across the country, high schoolers who think they aren't having sex when they just use their mouths aren't hanging on to their chastity for that much longer, according to the study published in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. The study asked more than 600 high school students in California to report on their sexual experiences by filling out surveys twice a year, from the beginning of ninth grade, in 2002, to the end of 11th grade, in 2005.
The study is a wake-up call for parents who don't want to find themselves having the "I'm going to be a grandma" conversation. Among those who initiate oral sex between ninth and 10th grade, the researchers found that oral sex is significantly related to vaginal sex, Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, Ph.D, senior author of the study and a professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, tells CNN.
Magnifying the situation is teens' perception of what sex is or isn't, Halpern-Felsher tells CNN.
"Teens think oral sex is less risky (than intercourse) and they're right, it's not risk-free but it is less risky," she says. "But socially and emotionally, they're still being intimate."
Freshman and sophomore years appear to be the critical time period when teens initiate oral, then vaginal, sex, Halpern-Felsher tells the news site.
Specifically, initiating oral sex by the end of their freshman year in high school gave teens a 25 percent chance of initiating vaginal sex around the same time and a 50 percent chance of initiating intercourse by the end of their junior year, the study found.
Halpern-Felsher advises concerned parents to talk to their teens about oral sex and not focus solely on the risks associated with intercourse.
"We have a disadvantage as health professionals and parents when teens do not equate oral sex with sex," Halpern-Felher tells CNN. "They think the messages don't apply to them and we need to make it apply to them, we need to talk to them about oral sex."
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Sex and Teens
Sex is a tough topic of conversation for both parents and teens. Betty S. Wong, executive editor at Family Circle, brings you advice on how to properly educate your teenagers about sex.
-
'Teen Mom' Star Talks About Sex Tape On 'Dr. Phil'
MTV 'Teen Mom' star Farrah Abraham appears on 'Dr. Phil' along with her parents, to tell her side of the story regarding her reported sex tape with porn star James Deen. She says she did make a tape, but it was only for personal use. Kristina Behr has the story.
-
Is Porn Teaching Your Kids About Sex?
Cris Clapp Logan, internet safety expert, talks about the importance of parents having ongoing discussions with their kids and teens about sex as opposed to a one-time "sex talk," or worse, allowing them to learn about sexuality through television and the internet.
-
%media:title.value% %media:description.value%
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-02-2010 @ 3:40PM
Janet said...They actually had to a study to figure that out?
Reply
11-02-2010 @ 3:52PM
Kelly said...In other breaking news, a comprehensive year long study has determined that if you let go of a rock it will go drop rather than rise.
11-02-2010 @ 11:30PM
Wanda Hollands said...Can you believe money goes to studies like this? There have got be better ways to spend. Kids just plain really need to be taught what's okay and what's not. Try Http://bit.ly/FreebieHomepage for good ideas.
11-02-2010 @ 4:13PM
Dan said...And to think they spend money on studies like this...
Reply
11-02-2010 @ 8:32PM
Michelle said...This is why sex ed talks in schools do more harm than good. They try
to steer kids away from intercourse, to petting-type activities and
oral sex. Then of course, they also advise kids how to use condoms,
you know, "just in case". Kids should be taught abstinence, period.
And it should be taught to them by their parents. Kids are having sex
because most parents are not "parenting", when it comes to the stuff that is difficult to talk about. Then, as a society, we let the schools do it and complain when too many teens have sex or end up pregnant. Wrong!
Reply
11-03-2010 @ 11:43AM
Alicia said...No, actually, they do nothing of the sort. In fact, the countries with the most comprehensive sex ed and the most available contraception have the lowest levels of teen pregnancy, STDs, unplanned pregnancies, abortions and single families. I'm in Ireland right now. If anyone thinks the US has sex ed issues, they should come here because it's even worse. There is almost solely abstinence-only education and so many kids who should be in college or starting a career are poor, unemployed and are walking around with a kid in a stroller and a bun in the oven. Many are unmarried, many are single, most are living on welfare. It's not pretty. That's why comprehensive sex education that gives honest facts about STDs and contraception are important. And I've never heard of any teacher ever telling kids that oral or anal were not sex or were healthy, because that is obviously not the case.
11-03-2010 @ 11:45AM
Alicia said...Also, I call bull on your "kids are having sex because parents aren't parenting." Kids have always had sex, whether or not the parent were involved. It's accepted that in the 50s parents "parented" and kids had sex. In the 1500s, parents "parented" and guess what? Kids still had sex. Hormones happen. Kids have sex.
11-03-2010 @ 1:59PM
Michelle said...Alicia,
Part of being a parent is knowing where your kid is at all times. I wasn't allowed to go out with boys, bring boys in my bedroom, etc., and my parents taught me sex should be saved for marriage. "Guess what?", I didn't have sex! I was glad to have parents who were open to talking about these things and who gave me boundaries. The parents of kids who are having sex do not really know where their kids are and what they are doing, because if they did, they wouldn't approve! And, although I had developing hormones like any other teen, my brain was the one in control, and still is! THIS is what we need to teach our kids.
Reply
11-03-2010 @ 6:12PM
Ed said...Michelle, you are a fool
10-24-2011 @ 10:39PM
Michael said...Michelle, telling a kid who wants to have sex to not have sex is like telling a dog not to lick its own ass.
Don't be naive. Studies have shown that kids who are exposed to comprehensive sex education have LATER onset of first intercourse. Later than those who are taught "abstinence only" education.
So I ask you, do you pretend there isn't an issue and not address it directly and "hope for the best" and keep your eyes on your kids (and trust me, to some degree they will resent this), or do you take the bull by the horns as it were and educate them on contraceptive usage so you aren't a grandmother at age 40 (or sooner)?
11-03-2010 @ 7:17PM
Alicia said...Guess what! I wasn't allowed boys in my room either! I didn't have sex until I was 18! My mom was also open with me about sex, what happens during sex, the risk and benefits of sex, what oral and anal sex are and all the different forms of contraception! I've never been pregnant, I'm clean and get tested regularly. When I decided to have sex, I made an educated decision to do so. My mother empowered me by telling me that sex isn't evil, but is something that needs to be taken seriously and approached with a clear mind. All her lessons and the lessons I had in sex ed supported her argument.
11-05-2010 @ 3:50PM
Sandyone said...Alicia, not sure what your point is. If you'd had an abstinence only school education, do you think you would have made different choices or would you have gone with your mother's advice and information? I'm guessing you'd have chucked the school stuff and followed your mother's guidance.
What's the key in this one? MOTHER/PARENT.
Above, you were not saying that the sex rate/percentage is the same today as it was in the 1950s and the 1500s, are you?
People continue to murder, yet we still talk about how bad that is to do. People will always beat their children, yet we continue to uphold laws against this.
"They're gonna do it anyway" is a poor argument.
I don't understand why people think teens can't control themselves They really can, if they're properly supported and not undermined at every turn.
Michael, for the record, people are not like dogs in heat. Some people like to think they are so that they can excuse their behavior. Others of us know better.