If there’s only one piece of advice you pass on to your teen – whether he or she is a virgin or not – it should be:

“Know the Facts BEFORE You Say “Yes” to Sex”

It’s very easy to share a few basic facts about the decision to have pre-marital sex. After all, this is one of the biggest decisions of his or her life – one that can never be taken back.

Don’t wait another minute to share these startling facts with your teen:

SEXUAL ACTIVITY

• In the U.S., fewer than one-half of high school students are having sex. (1)
  
  
  
• However, a Milwaukee Public School student survey found that nearly 60% reported to have been sexually active. (2)
  
  
  

PREGNANCY:

• A couple that doesn't choose abstinence or use birth control has an 85% chance of pregnancy within one year. (3)
  
  
  
• Research shows that condoms REDUCE the risk for some (not all) STDs, but they don't ELIMINATE the risk. (4)
  
  
  
• Milwaukee ranks second in the nation for the percentage of total teen births. (5)
  
  
  
• Wisconsin ranks number one for birth rates in African-American teens. (6)
  
  
  
• Milwaukee has the second highest percentage of total births to mothers less than 20 years among the 50 largest cities in the U.S. (7)
  
  
  
• Each year over 850,000 U.S. teens get pregnant. Nationally, teen pregnancy rates have decreased by nearly 30% in the last decade, however, the United States still has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births among all industrialized countries. (8)
  
  
  

STDs

• The reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Wisconsin are growing steadily each year. Of the nearly 10,000 cases of STDs in Wisconsin accounted for in 2004 by 15 to 19 year olds, 67% originated in Southeastern Wisconsin and over 75% were reported by females. (9)
  
  
  
• One quarter (25%) of new STD infections occur in people ages 15 to 19 years old. (9) That’s 1 out of every 4 of your friends and classmates.
  
  
  
• Two thirds (more than 66%) occur in young people under the age of 25. (10) For Gen Yers, that’s TWO out of every THREE people with an STD.
  

Sources: (1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). Youth risk behavior surveillance-United States. 2003 (2) Milwaukee Public School system study, see Teens, Sex & the FACTS (3) www.teenpregnancy.org, Hatcher, R.A., Trussel, J., Stewart, F., Cates Jr. W., Stewart, G.K., Guest, F., and Kowal, D. (1998) Contraceptive Technology, 17th revised ed. New York, NY: Ardent Media, Inc. (4) www.medicalinstitute.org. (5) The Right Start for America’s Newborns (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2005). (6) The Right Start for America’s Newborns (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2005). (7) United Way, If Truth Be Told, www.unitedwaymilwaukee.org. (8) Ventura, SJ, et al. Revised Pregnancy Rates, 1990-97 and New Rates for 1998-99: United States. National Vital Statistics Reports, 52(7). 2003. (9) Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Tracking the Hidden Epidemics--Trends in STDs in the United States 2000. Available at www.cdc.gov/nchstp/dstdp.html Accessed on September 20, 2001. (10) Eng TR, Butler WT, eds. The Hidden Epidemic--Confronting Sexually Transmitted Disease. Institute of Medicine, Washington DC National Academy Pres: 1997