Sexual health of teenagers in England and Wales: analysis of national data

Abstract

Sexual health is an essential component of general health and includes the avoidance of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Unintended pregnancies are associated with increased risk of poor social, economic, and health outcomes for mother and child, 1 and important sequelae of sexually transmitted infections include pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility, cervical cancer, and increased susceptibility to HIV infection. For some of these factors teenagers are at greater risk than older women. 1