- Should I have sex?
- What should I be thinking about?
- What are C-Cards?
- Where can I get further advice?
- Help lines
Deciding whether to have sex is a decision that only you should make. You can often feel pressured from your friends or from your boyfriend/girlfriend. Nobody should pressure you into having sex until you are ready. Don’t let anyone push you into having sex for the wrong reasons.
- Don’t be pressured into having sex if you are not ready.
- Many young people lie about when they have had sex so do not worry about ‘keeping up’ with your friends.
- It is ok to change your mind.
- It is not a sign of commitment or loving someone.
Read our section on relationships for more information.
What should I be thinking about?
If you decide that you are ready for sex then you should be thinking about:
- pregnancy – unprotected sex can lead to unwanted pregnancy
- sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – having unprotected sex means you stand a greater chance of catching a sexually transmitted infection such as Chlamydia or Herpes
- contraception – there are various different kinds of contraception, some protect you from pregnancy, STIs or both. It is important that you find a contraception that suits you.
C-Cards, short for condom cards are available for both young men and women under 20. To obtain a C-Card you need to visit a registered C-Card assessor. You can find your nearest assessor from the Essex C-Card website. A C-Card entitles you to free condoms in agreed multiples from a C-Card outlet. All our Connexions Centres are C-Card outlets. You can use your card in an outlet up to 6 times before you will have to visit an assessor again to continue using your card.
Where can I get further advice?
You can get free help and advice on STIs and contraception from your nearest clinic. You can find your nearest clinic at The Condom Essential Wear website.
Play the sperm-catcher game from the Brook website.
Free and confidential sexual health helpline: 0800 567 123 textphone: 0800 521 361
Family Planning Association: 0845 122 8690 9am-6pm Mon-Fri
LifeBytes
This site offers young people aged 11-14 facts about sex in a fun and interesting way.
LikeItIs
LikeItIs has lots of information on contraception, sex, puberty along with a Dear Doctor section that has answers to questions from worried teenagers.
Condom Essential Wear
Information on STIs and how and where to get help.
Brook
Brook provides free confidential advice on sex and contraception.
Bare all '07
Read celebrity confessions about sex and watch other peoples video confessions.
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