April 05, 2005
Let's Talk About Oral Sex
(Filed under: Sex)20% of teens have had oral sex and 32% intend to in the next six months, according to a survey of California teens (see the full survey). Comparatively 14% of teens have had vaginal intercourse and 26% intend to in the next six months.
I find three things intriguing about this study:
- When asked whether or not their peers were having sex, teens over-estimated big time. Teens thought 41% of their peers have had vaginal intercourse (it's only 14% according to the survey), and 47% of their peers have had oral sex (it's only 20%). Apparently everyone is not doing it.
- Teens were asked to gauge the risk of contracting various diseases when having vaginal intercourse vs. oral sex. Teens correctly saw much less risk in having oral sex, but despite the lowered risk, there is still a chance of contracting herpes, hepatitis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV from oral sex. Yikes. Sexual activity is simply not risk free.
- Only 40% of teens thought having sex (vaginal or oral) would make them feel good about themselves. More than half thought they'd feel bad about themselves and feel guilt (just under half for oral sex). 'If it feels good do it' is a questionable philosophy to begin with, but sex for an unmarried teen may not feel good in the end.
Bottom line: Sex is a big deal, regardless of what you see everywhere else. Aside from the risk of various diseases, sex goes pretty deep psychologically and spiritually. Oral sex seems to be on the rise, but let's not kid ourselves that it's safe or easy or not really sex.
This is a weighty topic that I'm hesitant to talk about, but I don't think that helps anyone. If you're struggling with sex, wondering if you should do it, wondering if you should stop, or whatever, I'd encourage you to talk to someone. Freak your parents out and ask them about sex.
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at April 5, 2005 03:33 PM
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