A recent study at The Guttmacher Institute found that
teens who regularly engage in vaginal intercourse are much more
likely engage in more risky sexual behaviors such as oral and anal
sex, than teens who have not had vaginal intercourse. In fact, 87%
of the non-virgin teenagers interviewed for the study admitted to
previously having oral sex, while only 23% of adolescents
interviewed, who had never had vaginal intercourse, acknowledged
having oral sex. The study also found that 20% of the sexually
active teens who were interviewed admitted to engaging in anal sex,
while 1% of teens who labeled themselves as “virgins” admitted to
having anal sex.
While oral and anal sex carry no risk of pregnancy,
engaging in oral sex and other non-vaginal sexual behaviors have
been shown to increase the risk for sexually transmitted infections,
and according to the study, teens are less likely to use protection
during oral sex. The risk of STD’s also increase with multiple
sexual partners and according to this study, 38% of adolescents who
engage in vaginal and oral sex have had four or more sexual
partners.
1Non-coital
sexual activities among adolescents,
The Journal of Adolescent Health,
Volume 42, Issue 5, May 2008 Pages 429-532
