Key points
- Learn how to protect yourself and your partner from pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV.
- Find out what you need to know before you begin having sex.
It's Your Future. You Can Protect It!
For information about waiting to have sex (abstinence), including how to talk to your partner about it:
For information about healthy relationships:
Talk with your parents
Talk with your parents, guardian, or another adult you trust about sex and relationships. They were teens once, too!
Not sure how to talk to your parents about sex?
Amaze.org: Talking with Your Parents about Sex
Talk with your health care provider
Talk with your health care provider. Let them know if you are having sex or thinking about it. Ask about how to prevent STIs and HIV. Ask about all types of birth control and decide which is best for you.
For information on all types of birth control: Find Your Method
Be strong! Knowledge is power!
If you are sexually active, protect yourself and your partner from pregnancy, HIV, and other STIs.
Even if you or your partner is using another type of birth control, agree to use a condom every time you have sex, to reduce the risk to both of you for HIV and most other STIs.
Birth control (such as the pill, patch, ring, implant, shot, or an IUD) provides pregnancy prevention, but it does not protect you from HIV and other STIs.
Condoms can reduce the risk to both of you for most STIs, including HIV, as well as the risk for pregnancy.
Condoms + Hormonal birth control (such as pill, patch, ring, shot, implant) or IUD = DOUBLE PROTECTION
Be responsible! Visit your local health care center
Many health centers provide free or low-cost sexual and reproductive health services, such as STI prevention counseling and screening and birth control services.
By law, Title X family planning clinics must offer private and confidential services for teens.
- Confidential services means your health information cannot be shared with anyone without your permission, unless your health care provider is concerned that you might hurt yourself or someone else.
- You can learn more about accessing sexual health care as a minor here.
Some health centers have walk-in hours especially for teens after school and on weekends.
Call or stop by a health center to talk about birth control, condoms, and other reproductive and sexual health needs you might have. Bring a friend for extra support!
Resource
Be brave and talk about it!
Talk with your partner about...
- Whether you should wait to have sex.
- How having sex might affect your relationship and your lives.
- How both of you will be responsible for preventing pregnancy and STIs.
- Your partner's sexual history and yours.
- Your plans for both of you to get tested for STIs before you have sex.
- Even if you have already had sex, it's not too late to take these steps, or to decide to stop having sex.