Teenage Abstinence...A good idea for a lot of reasons.

Teenage Abstinence means not having sex. A lot of teens—and single women—have chosen to be abstinent for a lot of reasons including family values, religion, health, and career. All of these reasons are good ones. Like we talked about in the articles on "Sex Play" and "Sex Pressures," you should always say, "no" to sexual pressure. If you don't want to have sex, if the voice inside you is saying, "No," or if you just don't think it's right for you to have sex before marriage—don't do it.

Teenage Abstinence is a good idea for a lot of reasons:

Your personal beliefs

A lot of teens and women believe it's right for them to wait until they're married to have sex. This is your personal decision.

You aren't ready

Just because you're physically ready, you might not be emotionally ready for sex. If you have sex, you'll have to deal with all kinds of issues—STDs, pregnancy, etc. There is no reason to rush into sex. If you have the slightest doubt, wait. You can't undo a wrong decision.

Pregnancy

Getting pregnant during high school can really affect your future—including college and career options. The sad fact is that every year in the U.S., about a million teens get pregnant. No birth control method is 100% effective—so every time you have sex you put yourself at risk. But if you abstain from sex, you can't get pregnant.

Sexually-transmitted disease (STD)

When you have sexual intercourse, you're also at risk for a sexually-transmitted disease. Getting a STD is really serious. While some of them can be cured with medication others, like herpes, aren't curable, and will affect you for the rest of you life. And there is no cure for AIDS, which could end your life. You can protect yourself from almost every sexually-transmitted disease by abstaining from sex.

If you choose to be abstinent for any reason—especially if you're an older teen—your friends (guys and girls) might give you a hard time or call you a prude. Just remember that friends are people who care about you and support you. People who criticize your decisions—any decisions—just might not really be your friends. So if you feel that teenage abstinence is right for you, trust in your own choice.