Drum – 22 August 2019

um.co.za 22 AUGUST 2019 | (^39)
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education andpar

viewing sexual interc

as a taboo subjectare

jor contributing factorstoteenage

pregnancy.

Whatever thereason,consentis

essential and that’s why pressure of

any kind is not a good enough reason

to lose your virginity, says Jennifer

Papers, a counselling social worker at

Families South Africa (Famsa).

“Don’t be pressured into losing your

virginity for whateverreason– beit

peer pressure, the needforloveorthe

promise of being ina

she says.

“The right time iswh

It’s a personal decision

emotionally matureen

the consequences

sexually active, so it’sa

delay it as long as possi

RISKS AND

CONSEQUENCES

Moletsane says havin

seem cool, especiallyw

young and you wantto

yourfriends,butit com

risks.Theseinclude:

Damaging your ima

Sex can affect thewa

you feel about yourselfo

how others feel abou

you. “Some peoplema

see you as a player,”Mo

letsane says. “This isre

levant for both sexe

and this reputationcan

staywithyoufora lo

periodoftime.”

STDs “You can getin

ted with STDs andha

live with this for theres

life, long after you’vebro

with your girlfriendo

friend,” she says.

These include her

chlamydia, genitalw

(caused by humanpap

mavirus or HPV),gon

hoea, syphilis, andHIV

Unplanned

pregnancy

“This will

change your

lifeon every

level as you

willbe respon-

blefor raising

hild,” she says.

aneven lead to

ropping out of

which will

affectyourfuture.”

Heartbreak“You’remore vulnerable

once you’vecommittedto someone

who might not be as committed to

you,” Moletsane warns.

“Thiscanleadtoheartbreakand

depression.”

Regret Papers says it’s common for

teens to feel pressured into doing

thingstheyaren’tcomfortablewith.

Moletsanestressesthatif youdecide

MEMBER THIS...

ginity with the wrong person – maybe

you had expectations they would be

your life partner – or you may regret it

if you later realise you weren’t ready.”

PROTECTING YOURSELF

Experts agree it’s vital you equip your-

self with enough knowledge to handle

the experience.

“Before teenagers can even start

thinking about having sex and losing

their virginity, they should learn how

to protect themselves from sexually

transmitted diseases and also be

aware of all the birth control options

open to them,” Papers says.

And on an emotional level, you

should be able to trust the person

you’re becoming sexually active with

and ensure you’re in a committed

relationship.

“Thepersonyoudecide to lose your

virginitytoshouldbe someone whom

t,”she adds.

t be one-sided – the

ould be in love with

arties must be in an

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ould be someone you

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RCES:HEALTHYCHILDREN.ORG,

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