By Elizabeth Boskey, Ph.D., About.com Guide
The problem is that even when these sex ed programs are effective in encouraging teens to remain virginal, "effective" may only mean that the programs have convinced teenagers to avoid vaginal intercourse. But vaginal intercourse is not the only sexual activity that can be hazardous to a person's physical and emotional health; oral and anal sex may not lead to pregnancy, but they can spread sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea,herpes, and HIV.
What is in a Promise?
Virginity pledges are a component of some abstinence-only sex education programs, and are also frequently promoted by the conservative media. When a teenager takes a virginity pledge, they usually promise to remain a virgin until marriage. These programs, however, rarely define "virginity," and, because of this, even those adolescents who are faithful to their promises may feel free to engage in anal and oral sex.
Several studies have examined virginity pledges to see if they are effective at stopping teenagers from engaging in sexual activity. Some studies have, in fact, found that individuals who take virginity pledges say that they are having less sex than those individuals who haven't taken a pledge. Unfortunately, most of those studies suffer from a major problem. Specifically, they don't ask teenagers what they consider to be "sex." Many teenagers don't consider oral or anal sex to be a violation of their virginity pledge.
Studying The Problem
When detailed descriptions of sexual activity are included in study design, the results look quite different. Several studies have found that many teenagers who consider themselves true to their pledge still engage in anal or oral sex. Since they don't believe that these forms of sex affect their virginity, teens don't worry that they might violate their pledge.
Furthermore, at least one study has found that teenagers who have engaged in oral and/or anal sex, but not vaginal sex, were more likely to have taken a virginity pledge. This may be one explanation for why that same study of virginity pledges found that pledgers have similar STD rates to those who don't.
Not surprisingly, since virginity pledges are often a component of abstinence-only education, it was also found, in at least one study, that individuals who take virginity pledges are less likely to use condoms the first time they have intercourse than those who don't pledge. Since condom use at first intercourse is a good predictor of future safer sex behavior, this does not bode well for the pledgers' lifetime sexual health.
Encouraging teenagers to only focus on virginity, without teaching them how to make other forms of sex safer, may protect them against pregnancy, but it doesn't do anything about STDs. In fact, anal sex carries an increased risk of transmitting certain STDs, such as HIV, when compared to vaginal sex, because there is a higher likelihood of tearing. Oral sex is also a problem, since many teenagers treat it relatively casually even when they know, objectively, that it puts them at risk of infection.
It makes far more sense to give teenagers comprehensive sex information so that they can make intelligent choices about their sexual health. After all, sexually transmitted diseases don't care whether or not a person is a virgin. They'll spread between any two people who are having unprotected sex.
Sources:
Brückner, H. and Bearman P. "After the promise: the STD consequences of adolescent virginity pledges" Journal of Adolescent Health 36 (2005) 271–278.
Nicole Stone, "Oral sex and condom use among young people in the United Kingdom" Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (2006) 38(1).
Lisa Remez "Oral Sex Among Adolescents:Is It Sex or Is It Abstinence?"Family Planning Perspectives (2000) 32(6):298-304.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2005 Supplement, Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP)Annual Report 2005. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2007.
Brückner, H. and Bearman P. "After the promise: the STD consequences of adolescent virginity pledges" Journal of Adolescent Health 36 (2005) 271–278.
Nicole Stone, "Oral sex and condom use among young people in the United Kingdom" Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (2006) 38(1).
Lisa Remez "Oral Sex Among Adolescents:Is It Sex or Is It Abstinence?"Family Planning Perspectives (2000) 32(6):298-304.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2005 Supplement, Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP)Annual Report 2005. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, January 2007.
Elizabeth Boskey, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Boskey is a researcher, writer, and educator passionate about the study of sexually transmitted diseases. Her extensive knowledge of the biology of STDs, as well as the social and personal issues associated with STD infection, makes her an ideal resource for information about all the ways that STDs can affect your health.
Experience:
Elizabeth is currently a part-time assistant professor in the Master's of Public Health program at SUNY Downstate, where she teaches the graduate course in Human Sexual Behavior. She has published several research papers in the field of reproduction, is co-author of the Invision Guide to Sexual Health, contributed to the 2010 edition of The Truth About Rape, and regularly writes articles about sexual health for the SexIs online magazine. She is also the author ofAmerica Debates: Genetic Testing and currently serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Sexuality Education.
Education:
Elizabeth received her Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Mucosal Protection Lab at Johns Hopkins University in 2000. In 2001, she completed her Master's in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a focus on population and family health sciences. Dr. Boskey is proud to be a Certified Health Education Specialist and an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator. She is also a member of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals and the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT).
From Elizabeth Boskey, Ph.D.:
My first experience teaching people about sexually transmitted diseases and safer sex was when I was in college. I was a peer educator with the AIDS education group, and I loved not just writing and performing sketches, but talking to my fellow students about sex. When I went on to graduate school, I began a more formal study of sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive health. As your Guide to Sexually Transmitted Diseases, I will use everything I have learned to help you improve your own health.
Six Pregnancy Myths Revealed
You are pregnant. Normally, this means that you are undeniably privy to hearing all the old wives tales, myths, and secrets to pregnancy that range from revealing the sex of your baby to how much hair your baby will have upon delivery. So really, what is true and what is not?1. Does Carrying Low Mean I am Carrying a Boy?
Older women will rub your belly and say, “Wow, you’re carrying low, so you must be a having a boy.” Or vice versa. The truth is that every woman carries her baby differently and will carry one baby differently than she does a second or third. The way your tummy looks has more to do with how the baby is positioned in your uterus than the sex of the baby. It is also based on your height, weight, and how far along you are, as well as some predetermined genetics. In fact, there are plenty of myths specific to gender. The raw truth is that just because the needles hung over your belly at your shower seemed to sway in one direction or another doesn’t necessarily mean you will have a boy or a girl. Most of the people who believe in that sort of stuff only do because it worked for them. Yet, I have had 4 children and it wasn’t right in any case. If you want to know the sex, ask the ultrasound tech to tell you. (Although it’s more fun to guess.)
2. Fast Heartbeat Means a Female
Wrong again! Most fetuses start out with extremely high heart rates that seem to settle around the 150 mark prior to delivery. This myth has been born out of the fact that woman have higher heart rates than men. However, when it comes to your baby in utero – this isn’t a good predictor.
3. Will Raising My Arms Cause My Babies Cord to Become Entangled and Lead To Miscarriage?
Okay, my mother in law was constantly after me when I was pregnant about raising my arms. If she saw me putting away a dish on the top shelf she would gasp and say, “Honey – don’t raise your arms above your head – it will tangle the umbilical cord!” Since the thought scared me to death, I asked my doctor and here’s the real scoop: Umbilical cords tangle because of fetal movement – NOT maternal movement. It is also more common for babies with really long cords to be born with it around their legs, arms, torso, etc. There is nothing that you can do about it. Luckily, doctors can monitor you for this through ultrasound and fetal wellness tests. So while you shouldn’t be lifting heavy objects above your head or over exerting yourself, raising your arms to stretch or do some prenatal yoga isn’t going to threaten your pregnancy.
4. Sex While Pregnant Will Hurt the Baby
Nope! Not true. Here’s the thing. First of all – no offense to your man – but he would have to have an EXTREMELY large penis in order to penetrate the uterine cavity where the baby is hidden. By extremely, I mean horse like. Secondly, sex is safe as long as you aren’t experiencing any difficulties. Some women don’t feel like sex when they are pregnant, and others feel more amorous due to the hormonal surges and heightened sensations in their pubic area. Many women admit to having an orgasm for the first time while pregnant. So go for it as long as your doctor hasn’t advised you otherwise.
5. Heartburn Means a Hairy Newborn
Just recently the New York Times did a study that seemed to prove this fact. However, there were only 28 participants in the study which isn’t even close to an adequate control group. Yet still, many people believe that if you have heartburn while you are pregnant, you will birth a baby with a head full of hair. 71% of all women experience heartburn while pregnant due to hormonal releases that relax the sphincter muscle. And many of these women have babies with little to no hair. Your odds on this are about 50 -50 and increase if you are of black, Hispanic, or Asian descent.
6. One Baby One Tooth
This myth began decades ago when women did not have proper pre-natal care. What used to happen is that women were deficient in iron and calcium. These two minerals are actually stored throughout life. While pregnant, a maternal deficiency meant that the stores would go first to the growing fetus leaving mom deficient, which could cause tooth decay or even loss. Today, this is normally not the case and deficiencies can be avoided by taking pre-natal vitamins.
There are plenty more where these came from. The trick is to have fun with all the myths, secrets, and tales of pregnancy. If you find any that cause you fear then check with your doctor and get the facts. Sure, there is some merit in the medical know-how’s of yesterday, but there is much more merit in the medical knowledge of today.
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