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Young Girls, Older Boyfriends & Sex
June 15, 2006 -- Girls with an older boyfriend at a young age may be more likely to have sex by ninth grade.
And those with a serious boyfriend by seventh grade are also more likely to have had sex two grades later.
So says a study in June's issue of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. Researchers included Barbara Marin, PhD, a consultant at the CDC's violence prevention division.
In their study, Marin and colleagues found that seventh grade girls who have had a serious boyfriend their own age are three times as likely to have sex by ninth grade as their less precocious classmates.
What's more, girls who'd had an older boyfriend by seventh grade were twice as likely to have had sex by ninth grade as those who'd had a same-age boyfriend by seventh grade.
'Cause for Concern'
So, the researchers want parents to take young love seriously. The findings suggest that "any 'serious' relationship in seventh grade should be cause for concern," they write.
And older boyfriends are of special concern. "Parents should be warned of the risks of interactions between middle-school females and older boyfriends, even when those boyfriends are only two years older," they write.
"Programs and parents need to find creative ways to address the risks of having an older boyfriend without making such activities appear more attractive than they already are," Marin's team continues.
About the Study
Marin's study included more than 2,200 middle-school students (1,070 boys and nearly 1,200 girls) in Northern California.
From grades six-nine, the students took annual surveys on topics including relationships and sex. The surveys varied a bit from year to year.
The sixth-grade survey asked girls if their menstrual periods had started. The researchers used that information as a marker of puberty. They didn't have a benchmark for boys' sexual maturity.
The seventh-grade survey included these questions:
- Have you ever had a serious boyfriend or girlfriend?
- How old was your oldest serious boyfriend or girlfriend?
The word "serious" didn't mean just sexual relationships. In fact, all the seventh-graders in Marin's study said they had never had sex.
Early 'Serious' Relationships
And, "In seventh grade, about half of both males and females reported never having had a serious boyfriend or girlfriend," the researchers write.
That means about half the students had had what they considered a serious relationship.
Most of those students reported having relationships with people their own age. Of the boys who'd had a serious girlfriend, 47% said their girlfriend was their age. Among girls who'd had a serious boyfriend, 31% said their boyfriend was their age.
When there was an age difference, girls were more likely to be the younger person. Eighteen percent of girls reported having had a boyfriend at least two years older than they were. About 6% of the boys reported having a girlfriend that much older than they.
Health & Sex Guide
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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