Three women have spoken about the regret, sorrow and emotional pain of having sex as teenagers, with one wishing she could tell her 14-year-old self to wait.
It comes after a recent survey by the University of Glasgow revealed more than a third of teenage girls regret their decision to have sex so early.
Kirsten Dugdale, Kimberley Beaumont and Emily Hackett all told a national newspaper about their sexual experiences as teenagers.
Foolish
Miss Dugdale said she felt pressured by peers to have sex, and “regretted it immediately” when she did.
Miss Beaumont, who became sexually active as a young teenager, said: “If I could turn back the clock, I’d tell my 14-year-old self to wait before thinking about having a sexual relationship.”
And Miss Hackett, who had slept with eight boys by the time she was 16, commented that she felt “used and foolish”.
Important
Miss Hackett said: “Boys would say lots of loving things to seduce me, but when I texted them afterwards to arrange to meet again, they’d tell me they weren’t looking for anything serious.”
Clinical psychologist Dr Michael Mantell warned that when a girl experiences sex without commitment early on in life, she learns the false message that sex means nothing.
Dr Mantell warned: “Later this can be carried into marriage, where the girl may believe that sex is not an important part of marriage when, clearly, it is.”
Trust
He also warned of the spate of problems which early sex can create: “It leads to empty relationships and low self-worth.
“The experience creates worry, regret, self-recrimination, guilt, loss of self-respect, shaken trust, depression, stunted personal development, damaged relationships and relationship skills.”
The recent survey of teenage girls, which was conducted by the University of Glasgow, found that 38 percent regretted losing their virginity.
A fifth said they felt pressured to do so.