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From the “About” section: Sex, Etc. is on a mission to improve teen sexual health across the country! Each year, five million young people visit Sexetc.org, and over 45,000 read our national magazine to get honest and accurate sexual health information. We’ve helped teens with answers to their…

From the University of Illinois Counseling Center, a great piece about body image, societal expectations, and making healthy choices that are right for YOUR body.

Everyone has a sexual orientation and a sexual identity. Here are some basics and not-so-basics about what orientation is, some of the ways we can talk about it, how to figure yours out, and finding support.

I just want to start off by saying that you seem to be a self-aware and secure person in your sexuality, from the limited information that you included. Many people who are concerned with their lack of sexual experience have feelings of insecurity. That insecurity is more often what tends to be the…

Do you feel anxious about the idea of getting tested for sexually transmitted infections and diseases? Some of our readers certainly do. Some never had adequate sex-education and did not realize that sexual activity with a partner – and not just anal or vaginal intercourse – can pose STI risks in…

Your question isn’t silly. Privacy around any kind of sex is a big concern for many people, whether they live with parents, housemates or partners. Many people feel that masturbation is a very private thing, and don’t necessarily want to shout it out to their parents that they are going to go…

…was the major overall theme yesterday in our anonymous texting service’s inbox here at Scarleteen! Was some misleading info about dry humping + pregnancy starring in some big TV show we must have missed last night? Seriously though, dry humping is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It’s “dry”…

Ten years ago, I knew about using lube, about making first-time intercourse comfortable, and about pregnancy prevention options, but it seems I didn’t know much about sexually transmitted infections. My partner at the time — I’m still with him — offered to get tested for STIs before our first meeting in person. I turned him down. I think I must have decided that he didn’t have an STI. Someone told me once that I was more powerful than electricity. If that is true, which I highly doubt it is, I must be truly powerful indeed, to conduct blood and urine analyses over the phone or Internet, and with no scientific or medical training at that!

The good news is our hormones don’t control us. They can’t override what choices we actually want to make, including when we’re in our teens. I know, that might stand counter to a lot of what you hear about RAGING! TEENAGE! HORMONES! Super-powered chemicals that aspire to, if not world domination…

I’m really glad you want to tell someone, because I think it’s really important that you do for her safety. Even if her parents are divorcing, chances are good her father or stepfather will get some sort of unsupervised visitation if there’s no record or knowledge of abuse, so her abuse may not…

Many of us have been there before: feeling stuck in our sexual relationships and wanting to try new things, while feeling unable to communicate that, or nervous about communicating that, to our partner. Fortunately there are some conversation tips that might help you have the type of sex that you…

Steelflower’s question continued: I’m deadly frightened to tell him because this is something I am really ashamed of. I trust him and know my secret would be safe with him, but I’m terrified that he’ll suddenly find me disgusting, or frightening, or that he’ll never be able to trust me again -…

One of my favorite TV shows when I was a teenager was the series “Dawson’s Creek.” The series centered around best friends Joey and Dawson and portrayed their experiences from high school and into college as they made and lost friends, entered and left relationships, and grew up. The show was aired…

This summer, I went to my clinic to see a general practitioner (GP) for an annual check-up. Officially I’m a certain GP’s patient, but I see the residents that she supervises whenever I go. When I made the appointment, I did not have any particular concerns, but I wanted to get a pap smear and STI testing. In the past, I have made some unsafe decisions, and I have also been in situations where a partner has not respected my condom-use wishes. Since then, I have had several clear results from pap smears and STI tests, but I have been going at least once a year as a precaution.

Whenever there are strong fears about possible consequences of any given action, it’s a good idea to ask whether everyone is ready for the act or behaviour that could lead to these consequences. Reading your question, I’m left with a lot more questions. Have you and your boyfriend ever met before…

When I was growing up, I often turned to my mother for relationship advice. We had our differences, but we were close, and I valued her opinions. However, I also found myself grappling with many of the things she said, because in all of it one thing was clear: for her, the only kind of acceptable sexual relationships are monogamous, heterosexual, long-term commitments. From the start, I had some questions about this concept. What if I did not want to sleep with men at all? What if I did not feel interested in the marriage-and-kids thing?

I worked right up until the day before I delivered my baby. In hindsight, I wish I’d had some time off beforehand. It would have made life easier and less stressful. However, we don’t always have ideal situations. I spent the last week of my pregnancy talking to baby a lot about making sure she waited until our scheduled date and time. Or, at the very least, if she was going to come early to try to do so during regular business hours on a day where my OB was working so that I didn’t have to worry about being delivered by someone else.

Audrey’s question continued: So I’m looking into alternatives. I followed the links on this site about contraception but it looks like my only options are barriers or hormones and that seems like such a drag for me as I’m in a long-term relationship. Please help? WHEN will there be a male…

May I suggest that if it can be avoided, moving to a new home while in one’s third trimester during the hottest summer on record and trying to work at the same time should be avoided if at all possible? Because it should.

It’s hard to say when things finally changed for me. All the pieces were there for a long time, waiting to fall into place, but I just wasn’t ready to let go and watch them tumble down. The idea of having to put it all behind me scared me. The idea of losing such a close relationship. Of losing something so familiar.

It struck me today that folks might sometimes wonder why, with an organization focused on sexuality, sexual health, and sexual relationships, we spend quite a bit of time talking about friendship. We do it in articles and blogs, and we talk with users often in our direct services about their…

It’s hard to say when things finally changed for me. All the pieces were there for a long time, waiting to fall into place, but I just wasn’t ready to let go and watch them tumble down. The idea of having to put it all behind me scared me. The idea of losing such a close relationship. Of losing something so familiar.

First of all, you’re completely okay and nothing you’ve described here means there’s anything wrong with you. Nearly all people masturbate or have masturbated in their lives, and most masturbate with the kind of frequency you’re describing. As well, it’s very normal for little children to masturbate…