Doctor alarmed by number of teenage girls having sex

By Staff Writer

A gynecologist has released a book intended to educate teenager girls about their changing bodies and the risks of having sex too early.

According to USA Today, the author, who is also the mother of an 11-year-old daughter, believes that many young girls are ignorant about their pubescent bodies and are under tremendous pressure from their peers to engage in sexual behavior. She said that only 40 percent of girls make it to 18 before having sex.

One reason she wrote the book The Body Scoop for Girls: A Straight-Talk Guide to a Healthy, Beautiful You was because of the psychological impact of sexuality. She said that many adolescents are unaware of the risks of sex, which includes unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and emotional trauma.

The doctor added that there are physical repercussions from childhood sex as well, as cervical cells are still developing during teen years and sex can interfere with the natural process.

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Seventeen magazine found that half of all teens who had sex before they were 18 wish they had waited until they were older, the news provider reports.

FamilyFirstAid.org reports that girls with low self esteem are more likely to engage in unprotected sex.