In Case You’re Curious: For Teens

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incaseyourecurious

Great question! There are no age restrictions when

Great question! There are no age restrictions when it comes to buying condoms.

Condoms are a thin sheath of latex, polyurethane, or nitrile material that a person can place over a penis (external condom) or inside the vagina or anus (internal condom).

Condoms can be used to help prevent passing sexually transmitted infections or help prevent pregnancy.

They are available to buy in many places like grocery stores, pharmacies, health centers, public health offices, online, gas stations, and more! Sometimes, condoms are available for free in some places! To find a Planned Parenthood near you to get condoms, visit texticyc.com!

#icyc #incaseyourecurious #condoms #condom #freecondoms

There is not one age that is right for everyone! P

There is not one age that is right for everyone! People choose to become parents at different times in their lives for many different reasons and some people choose not to become parents.

All parents deserve support, it can be a lot of work to raise kids! So when deciding when and if to become a parent, it can be helpful to talk with trusted people in your life for support.

Some things a person may think about when deciding to become a parent are; are they financially able to support themselves and their child, are they emotionally able to support themselves and a child, do they have anyone in their life who can help them if they need support, and much more!

Even though it is a personal decision, talking with a trusted adult is always a good idea when making big decisions like when the right time to parent is!

#incaseyourecurious #icyc #noteenshame #parentsupport

💋 This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerqu

💋 This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerque intern 💋

This is a question that sex educators can struggle with, because of the long history of fear based education around sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The simple answer is yes, oral herpes or cold sores can pass through kissing. We learned all too well in the past year, there are lots of different ways infections can pass or transmit from person to person. When it comes to STIs, they’re typically transmitted through specific body fluid or skin to skin touching of an infected area. The body fluids that STIs can past through are vaginal fluid, semen, pre-cum, anal fluid, blood, and breast milk. Spit is not a fluid STIs transmit through. There are two herpes viruses, HSV-1 (oral herpes) and HSV-2 (genital herpes). Both types are transmitted through skin to skin contact of an infected area. That area could be someone’s mouth or lips or on someone’s genitals. There is a lot of stigma and fear around both types of herpes. The truth is, it’s a very common and treatable virus. Around 90% of people are exposed to oral herpes by the time they’re 50.

❤️ This post was designed by a @faces.albuquer

❤️ This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerque intern ❤️

A person’s hormones naturally fluctuate during their menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle can include the period, ovulation (releasing an egg), and all the time in between. For some people hormones can cause mood swings or crankiness during their period. Many people experience mood swings before their period as well, or other symptoms from PMS (premenstrual syndrome). Or they might be cranky after their period, everyone’s body is different! All people can experience crankiness or mood swings, especially during puberty, due to hormonal changes. Even though mood swings are natural, it’s not okay to make assumptions about why someone might be cranky or upset. It can be insulting and make a person feel like they’re not being taken seriously.

🌼This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerque

🌼This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerque intern🌼

“Slut” is a slang word often used to put someone down for their sexual activity or perceived sexual activity, how they look or dress, or who they spend time with. There isn’t a specific number times or different people that someone has to have sex with to be called a “slut.” It’s not ok to make fun of someone about the sex they are or aren’t having. It’s no one else’s business! Sometimes people reclaim this word, so it’s not only used as an insult. Only you can decide how you want to label your sexual activity.

If someone is having sex it can help to get tested for STIs regularly, use birth control, condoms and/or dental dams, communicate with partners about boundaries, and talk to a trusted adult.

🧻 This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerqu

🧻 This post was designed by a @faces.albuquerque intern! 🧻

You can’t get an STI from a toilet seat. Sexually transmitted infections are passed through oral, vaginal, and anal sex or through skin-to-skin genital contact of an infected area. Typically only a person’s butt cheeks or thighs touch a toilet seat. Of course, if you see fluids on the rim you can wipe them off, use a toilet seat cover, or move along to the next stall. 💩

There’s not one single answer to this because it

There’s not one single answer to this because it can be different for everyone! But there are lots of things that can affect when and if people choose to have sex. Typically people don’t start to experience sexual feelings until they start going through puberty (which can happen any time between age 8 and age 16 and sometimes even earlier or later). And some people might not experience sexual feelings at all! When people are very young they aren’t truly able to give consent with every aspect that needs to be there (freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, specific). But there’s not one “right” age for everyone to have sex. Whether or not someone chooses to have sex depends on what they’re comfortable with. If people are trying to figure out if they’re ready to have sex or not, there are some questions they can ask themselves that are helpful, like: Do I feel ready to have sex? Do I know what my own boundaries are and what I’m comfortable with? Am I ready to respect another person’s boundaries? Am I ready to have a conversation about what I do and don’t want to do? Do I know how to give and get consent? Do I know about my options for preventing things like unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections? It can also be really helpful for people to talk with an adult they trust about sex and sexual health. There are rules and values about how old people need to be before they have sex. Talking with a trusted adult can help you figure out the rules around having sex.
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No hay una sola respuesta a esto porque puede ser diferente para todes! Pero hay muchas cosas que pueden afectar cuando y si las personas deciden tener relaciones sexuales. Típicamente, las personas no empiezan a tener sentimientos sexuales hasta que empieza la pubertad (lo que puede empezar en cualquier momento entre 8-16 y a veces antes o después), ¡Y es posible que algunas personas no tengan sentimientos sexuales en absoluto! También, cuando las personas son muy jóvenes, no pueden dar de verdad su consentimiento con todos los aspectos que necesitan estar presentes (dado libremente, reversible, informado, entusiasmado, específico). (continuado en los comentarios)

Its definitely not something you’d want to eat!

Its definitely not something you’d want to eat!

During puberty, a person’s body grows and changes from a kid’s body into an adult’s body. This growth includes the larynx (which is the voice box).

The larynx growing makes a person’s voice change into a deeper sounding voice. When the larynx grows, it may stick out in front of the throat and that is what is called an Adam’s apple.

Since people with a penis sometimes have a deeper voice than a person with a vagina, they may have a bigger larynx, creating an Adam’s apple. But sometimes a person with a vagina has an Adam’s apple too, whether a person does or doesn’t is normal.

#icyc #incaseyourecurious #puberty #adamsapple #larynx

It probably seems like it would be, since it can a

It probably seems like it would be, since it can affect the genitals, but it isn't!

A yeast infection can be caused by an imbalance in the yeast and healthy bacteria in and around the vulva. A person with a yeast infection may have itching, burning and/or redness around the vulva.

Anytime a person experiences something unusual for them, they should talk to a doctor for treatment. There are creams that a person can use to treat a yeast infection.

Yeast infections can happen in other areas besides the vulva too! Yeast likes warm, moist environments. So places like under the foreskin on the penis or other folds of skin can get them too!

Always be sure to talk to a doctor or trusted adult if you experience symptoms of your body that are new or different. To find a Planned Parenthood near you, visit texticyc.com!
#icyc #incaseyourecurious #yeastinfection #yeast #vulvacare #infection

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