10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE GOING ALL THE WAY

4. Have I Considered Birth Control?

Each year 1 million girls get pregnant. That's one in 10! Forty-three percent of all adolescents will have been pregnant at least once by their 20th birthday. Dr. Bruggeman says that biologically a girl has strikes against her because she can get pregnant: "A guy can always walk away when a pregnancy occurs."

If you are considering having sex, think about these questions: How would you raise a child? Would abortion be an option for you? Would your partner stand by you and support you? What would you tell your parents?

5. How Would I Deal with Contracting HIV?

The only 100 percent effective way of avoiding AIDS/HIV is abstinence. Latex condoms used with a spermicide can decrease the chances of transmitting the deadly disease, but they're not 100 percent effective.

"I ask high school groups if they know anyone who has tested positive for HIV/AIDS, and usually they say yes. Then I ask them if the person they know looks sick. Usually they say no. Testing is the only way to know who carries the virus."

6. How Will the Relationship Change if We Have Sex?

Though people often feel that having a sexual relationship will make them closer, the reality is that in many relationships it can change the way two people interact with each other.