Abstract
Most of the consequences of early intercourse affect the woman and much research has focused upon her. As part of a study on teenage pregnancy, where 137 women were interviewed, 46 men were also interviewed. They were less likely to have had teaching about sex from parents and were subject to less parental supervision than the women. Both sexes had had similar experience of school sex education. Just under half of the men started having intercourse before 16 years. Over half of both sexes were initiated by an experienced partner and for 15/25 (60%) of the men this was within the first month of a relationship. Most men had had several partners and 27/99 (27%) of teenage women at least three, most in the context of stable relationships. 'Serial monogamy' exposes each partner indirectly to their partners previous partners (with the associated medical risks). Education must help teenagers make decisions about sexual involvement that take account of these facts and the implications for their own future health and happiness.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Barron S. L. Sexual activity in girls under 16 years of age. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1986 Aug;93(8):787–793. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Curtis H. A., Lawrence C. J., Tripp J. H. Teenage sexual intercourse and pregnancy. Arch Dis Child. 1988 Apr;63(4):373–379. doi: 10.1136/adc.63.4.373. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Finkel M. L., Finkel D. J. Male adolescent sexual behavior, the forgotten partner: a review. J Sch Health. 1983 Nov;53(9):544–547. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1983.tb01152.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hollingsworth D. R., Kreutner A. K. Sounding board. Teenage pregnancy: solutions are evolving. N Engl J Med. 1980 Aug 28;303(9):516–518. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198008283030910. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Inazu J. K., Fox G. L. Maternal influence on the sexual behavior of teen-age daughters. J Fam Issues. 1980 Mar;1(1):81–102. doi: 10.1177/0192513x8000100105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Paterson M. E., Peel K. R., Joslin C. A. Cervical smear histories of 500 women with invasive cervical cancer in Yorkshire. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Oct 6;289(6449):896–898. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6449.896. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]