As uncomfortable as it was taking sex ed in middle school, I have always been grateful that it made me savvier and more thoughtful about my own sexuality. As it turns out, I am not alone. According to a new study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sex education actually helps keep teens from becoming sexually active [1] too soon. To me, this is great news, since so many people make the argument — in my opinion, a foolish one — that sex ed makes kids want to have sex earlier than they otherwise would. Here's more:

Teenagers who have had formal sex education are far more likely to put off having sex, contradicting earlier studies on the effectiveness of such programs, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

They found teenage boys who had sex education in school were 71 percent less likely to have intercourse before age 15, and teen girls who had sex education were 59 percent less likely to have sex before age 15.

Sex education also increased the likelihood that teen boys would use contraceptives the first time they had sex.

So not only are teens thinking harder about whether they actually want to have sex in high school, but they are also having safer sex when they finally do take the plunge. What about you? Did you have formal sex education in school? If so, what effect did it have on you?

Source [2]