Crisis pregnancy ‘can be avoided if teens wait for sex’

ENCOURAGING teen-agers to wait until they feel ready to have sex is regarded as the best way to avoid a crisis pregnancy, a conference heard yesterday.

Research shows that levels of regret, non-use of contraception and risk of conceiving under 18 years are considerably higher among young people who begin sex before 16.

Former director of the National Centre for HIV and Sexual Health in Britain, Jo Adams, said women were more likely than men to say they wished they waited longer before having their first sexual encounter.