Kamasutra | Page 4

same sex you might feel
under pressure to keep it secret. You may
not feel as though you can talk to your
friends or family about them. See the
‘HELP & ADVICE’ section for organisations
that can provide advice and support.
DOING
SEXUAL
THINGS
TOGETHER

14
Sexual intercourse is sometimes called
making love, having sex, fucking or
having a shag. It is when a boy’s hard
penis goes inside a girl’s vagina. There
are a lot of things to consider if you are
thinking about having sexual intercourse.
Having sexual intercourse means that a
girl can get pregnant and a boy can
become a father unless they use
contraception properly. They can pass on
a sexually transmitted infection if one
of them is already infected. Also, it’s
illegal for a boy to have sex with a girl
who is under sixteen and for two boys
to have sex together before they are
eighteen. There are no laws about two
girls having sex together.
You might want to consider what your
parents’ views are about sex and how
they would feel if they knew you were
having sexual intercourse. You might
have religious or moral beliefs which
mean you don’t want to have sex until
you are married.There is a lot of pressure to have sexual
intercourse for the first time – to lose
your virginity. Some young people think
that most other young people of their age
have had sex. But generally young people
overestimate how many people of their
own age have had sexual intercourse.
Some people say they have had sexual
intercourse when they haven’t.
It is difficult to know when you are
ready to have sexual intercourse for the
first time. If you are not sure about the
time, or the person, or you can’t sort
out contraception, you aren’t really
ready. Quite a lot of people who had sex
when they weren’t really ready say they
regret it afterwards.
I do regret doing it so soon.
I think I wanted to lose my
virginity really. I pretended it
was for love, but it wasn’t really.
It was good, and I learnt a lot
but I definitely think I should
have been honest with myself.
SEXUAL INTERCOURSE SEXUAL INTERCOURSE
DECIDING TO HAVE SEXUAL INTERCOURSE

If a boy and girl are having sexual
intercourse, then using a contraceptive
properly, every time, will prevent the
girl becoming pregnant.
Of course there’ve been a few
times I’ve not used contraception.
When I was younger and less
confident and that. But
you always have to wonder
afterwards that way.
Some contraceptives are used by girls.
The most reliable is the contraceptive
pill, sometimes just called the pill. The
contraceptive pill works by affecting the
hormones in a girl’s body. Most kinds of
contraceptive pill have to be taken every
day. But, the contraceptive pill does not
stop sexually transmitted infections.
The condom is the only type of
contraception that can be used by a boy.
The condom is a thin piece of rubber
shaped like the finger of a glove. It goes
over the boy’s penis and stops the semen
going into their partner’s body. The
condom is a reliable contraceptive but
not quite as reliable as the contraceptive
pill. Condoms can stop sexually transmitted
infections.If two people are having sexual
experiences together, especially sexual
intercourse, and one of them has a
sexual infection they could pass it on to
the other person. These infections are
sometimes called sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) or diseases (STDs).
Using a condom will prevent any
infection from being passed from one
person to the other.
Most boys and girls having sexual inter-
course should consider using both the
pill and the condom. This is sometimes
called the ‘double dutch’ approach. This
15
PREGNANCY & SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS
!

protects very well against both pregnancy
and infections. The contraceptive pill is
available on prescription from a doctor.
Condoms cost about £2.50 for a packet
of three in chemists and other shops. You
don’t have to be sixteen to buy condoms.
I went to the big chemist and
bought a load of soap and stuff
and a pack of three. I was in a
daze going to the check-out but
no-one paid any attention at all.
I felt stupid for worrying about
it afterwards.
Condoms and other contraceptives are
often available in local family planning
and other health clinics. Sometimes these
clinics have special evening or afternoon
sessions for young people. They usually
see both boys and girls and you don’t
have to be having sex to go to one.
Of course it’s hard to use clinics.
We have one which is open one
evening a week, after school. It is
really easy though. The biggest
thing is going the first time. I tell
people it’s just their job. They aren’t
allowed to tell anyone who goes
there and they’ve seen it all before.
How do you have
sexual intercourse?
Sexual intercourse between a boy and a
girl starts with them both getting sexually
excited. This is sometimes referred to as
foreplay, and might involve kissing and
cuddling, touching each other and other
sexual activities. Foreplay is important
as it means a girl’s vagina begins to get
moist and a boy gets an erection. If the
girl’s vagina does not get moist enough,
then having sexual intercourse could be
difficult or painful for the girl.
If a couple are going to use a condom
for protection against pregnancy or
infections, they should put