IYSS

"Practice safe sex" - what does that mean?

If you’re mature enough to be having sex, you should be mature enough to take responsibility for the possible consequences such as pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

It's important to be well informed about contraception in order to protect yourself from unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.  The more sexual partners you have, the more likely you are to contract an STI – using condoms will go a long way to helping prevent this.

An unplanned pregnancy, particularly for a young person, can have far-reaching consequences and lead to you having to make very difficult decisions such as whether to keep your baby or have an abortion.  Whatever decision you make will affect your future life.

As for STI's, just because they are treatable they should not be taken lightly as they can cause long-term health problems, sometimes even leaving the sufferer sterile.  This may seem unimportant when you're young, but can cause great unhappiness later on in life if/when you are in a stable relationship and want to start a family.