Summary: In Ireland, Teens Who Lose Their Virginity By 15 Are More Likely To Regret it.

Young adults who lose their virginity before they are 15 are more likely to regret it.

An Irish study by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency found that young adults seem to be having sex at younger ages than past generations, partly due to the different way sex is viewed by the younger generation. The study of Sexual Health and Relationships found that “older age groups are more likely to cite ‘love’ and ‘being carried away by feelings’ as reasons for first intercourse. Younger respondents are more likely to cite being ‘curious’, that ‘most people the same age seemed to be doing it’ or a desire to lose virginity.”

The study also found that the younger the individual was at the time they lost their virginity, the more likely they were to regret it. “Among men who had sex before 15, the proportion expressing regret at the timing is 47%, compared to just 11% of men who had sex after age 19. Among women the difference is even more pronounced: 78% of women who had sex before age 15 expressed regret, compared to 17% among women who had sex after age 19.” [1]

[1] The Irish Study of Sexual Health and Relationships, Crisis Pregnancy Agency, October 2006