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Teen virginity remained the rule rather than the exception in 2015-2017, federal survey data indicated, but use of the most effective methods of contraception among those having sex grew.

In 2015-2017, 42% of girls and 38% of boys ages 15 to 19 reported ever having sex, said Gladys Martinez, PhD, and Joyce Abma, PhD, of the CDC National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in Hyattsville, Maryland -- down from 46% in 2002 for both females and males, the researchers reported in an .

The analysis used data from the (NSFG), which since 1976 has provided national data on factors affecting birth and pregnancy rates, adoption, and maternal and infant health.

In an interview with 乌鸦传媒, Martinez said this was the first time that the survey data showed that the probability of having had sex was similar among girls and boys in each age group.

"Males have always engaged in sexual activity at an earlier age and at a higher rate than females," Martinez said. "For this report, we are finding that there are no differences in the timing of first sex for males and females."

At age 16, the probability of having had sex was 37% among females and 34% among males. Corresponding figures at age 19 were 74% and 70%, respectively.

She said that young people are delaying their sexual activity, and these changing behaviors may explain the

For the study, Martinez and Abma analyzed data from the most recent NSFG, based on survey results from 924 girls and 886 boys; all participants had never been married.

Regarding birth control, 78% of teen girls and 89% of teen boys reported using contraception at first sexual intercourse.

While 97% of teen girls in the survey reported using condoms, methods such as emergency contraception and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) -- including implants and IUDs, considered the most effective forms of birth control -- had increased from prior NSFG iterations. One in five teen girls reported having ever used LARC methods, an increase driven by higher implant use, Martinez said.

Following condoms, withdrawal (65%) and birth control pills (53%) were the most common contraceptive methods used among teen girls.

Asked for his perspective, David Eisenberg, MD, MPH, an ob/gyn and family planning specialist at Washington University in St. Louis, who was not involved with the research, said the rise in LARC use shown in the survey is significant.

"The increased proportion of teenagers using highly effective reversible contraception means we are going to have less unintended pregnancy," Eisenberg told 乌鸦传媒.

He added that the fact that the majority of teens are using condoms is a good thing, as they prevent both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, but since condoms are not the most effective method of contraception, increasing access to LARC is important.

Also commenting, Gabriela Aguilar, MD, MPH, an ob/gyn and family planning specialist at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, agreed that increasing access to IUDs and implants is important. "We know that teens are obviously having sex, and it's pretty reassuring that the majority of them are using contraception," Aguilar said in an interview. But she added that teens are also using accessible yet less effective methods to prevent pregnancy.

"We need to be talking more to teens about these other options that are available," said Aguilar, who had no role in the study. "But the other thing to think about is how to improve access."

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