values

What to do when what's supposed to feel like a sexual milestone feels more like a raw deal, including sorting through feelings of upset about a partner's sexual history.

For someone choosing to hold off on sex until marriage, what to do about the fact that most other people, including potential partners, will not have made the same choice? How much should your own sexual ethics and values hinge on those of others?

Depending on your view, the answer to that question might seem really obvious or very tricky and hazy. However, it's a phrase and concept that's bandied about a lot, yet is rarely explained.  A group of Australian researchers finally defined it clearly and holistically.

For years, research on adolescent sex was so entrenched in a risk perspective that “adolescent sexual health” was an oxymoron. Today, a new science of adolescent sexual heath is emerging that may help us look beyond risk.