Up to 85 per cent of young females who become sexually active at an early age regret the decision in later life, a conference on sexual health for young people will be told this week.
In an effort to address statistics which show that 85 per cent of females and 67 per cent of males regret becoming sexually active at the age of 13 and 14, a new youth-friendly sexual health service has been proposed by Joe Adams, former director of the UK's National Centre for HIV and Sexual Health.
Speaking in advance of a conference on sexual health organised by the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) in Dublin on Wednesday, Ms Adams said that the traditional sex education services or the teaching of abstinence were not the most effective approaches available.
Instead, a new "Let's leave it 'till later" programme, otherwise known as the Delay Programme, which is currently being implemented in England is advocated by Ms Adams.
"The statistics regarding the huge numbers who regret if they have sex very early in life relate to the US, UK and Europe and it is therefore probably fair to say that they are applicable to Ireland. Many young people are finding that sex is not healthy or enjoyable at a young age," said Ms Adams.
The holistic, "empowerment-based" approach is not pitched as an abstinence programme and instead aims to help young people work out for themselves if and when they are emotionally ready to become sexually active.
The delay programme consists of 10 practical strategies such as supporting the acquisition of strong friendship skills, enabling young people to withstand pressure to have sex and helping them find non-sexual ways of exploring intimacy.
Director of the Sexual Health Centre in Cork, Deirdre Seery, said that the number of young people who become sexually active at a young age is often exaggerated, adding that just over a third become sexually active before the age of 17.
Her concerns resided on the degree of misinformation absorbed by many young people. This is subsequently leaving them without a basic of understanding of sex, fertility, pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.