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@Rihanna, The first thing that you would need to do is to get a pregnancy and an HIV/STD test done. If any of the tests are positive, you should seek medical help. If tests are negative, you should really consider trying to abstain from drugs.  To make proper decisions in social gatherings, you may want to abstain from drugs as it clouds your decision about sex and relationships.

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@Koko, I’m a senior this year and plan to go to college. The other night I went to a party and something happened. I had a couple of beers and then somebody handed me a joint. Everyone else was smoking too. It was powerful stuff! I had never used drugs before. The next thing I knew I was in the bedroom with this basketball player I kind of had a thing for. We ended up having sex, and I don’t even know if we used protection, because I was so high that I forgot to ask. I heard he does this type of thing a lot. Now he barely even speaks to me. I’m afraid that I could have gotten pregnant or gotten infected with an STI like HIV. What should I do?

@Rihanna

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@Dana,

It's okay to be cautious about having sex. However, the best way to prevent getting HIV and other infectious diseases is to practice abstinence from vaginal, oral, and anal sex.

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It’s like this @Koko, I am fifteen years old, and my girlfriend and I have never had vaginal sex. We do other things, though, including oral sex. Before, we just wanted to make sure that she didn’t get pregnant. We had never really thought about infections like HIV. But now, I hear that teens my age are getting sexually transmitted infections. Is oral sex safe? How do we protect ourselves from STIs?

@Carmello

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@Marcus,

Hello Marcus, it would be a wise decision to be honest with your new boyfriend about your first encounter with sex. There is always a possibility of catching an STD or HIV from unprotected sex so it would also be really good to have you and your boyfriend get tested first before engaging in sex, just to be safe on both ends. If you test positive, seek medical help immediately. If you're really nervous and scared about having sex again, then you can always talk to your boyfriend about abstaining from sex. If he loves and respects you, he should understand.

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@Raymond, there's no guarantee once you start having sex that the other person is not going to have sex with another person. There's no 100% guarantee. Even if they just have sex with one other person, the risk is there. You open the door to that risk once you have sex.

Yes, you should still be worried about HIV, as there are many ways you can contract HIV. Even if your girlfriend and you have not had sex, they could possibly have contracted HIV through ways like sharing saliva with someone with HIV. Also, I know you are only worried about HIV, but you can also make your girlfriend pregnant when you have sex even just one time.

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@Koko, five months ago, when I came out on my 16th birthday, I had sex with someone for the first time. We didn’t use condoms. I didn’t really enjoy it, and he never called me again. Now I have a new boyfriend and he wants me to have sex, too. Is it possible that I might have been exposed to HIV when I did it before? I’m anxious that I might be infected with HIV. What do I tell my boyfriend? What should I do? This whole relationship thing can be confusing.

@Marcus

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@Koko, my girlfriend and I have been going out for a year. We really love each other, and both want to have sex. I trust her, but I’m concerned about HIV. My girlfriend and I are 14 years old, and neither one of us has tattoos, and we don’t use drugs. We’ve been thinking about having sex, but only with each other. Do we have to worry about HIV?

@Raymond

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@Dana, Hi Dana, you are right, you have no idea who has HIV and who is safe. Remember, certain behaviors are safe, like holding hands. You can't get HIV that way. So you need to abstain from sex and do not share needles, that's the surest way to not get HIV. Even having sex ONE time can give you HIV. It's okay to date, but you should have boundaries or values and tell your partner about that. they should understand or dump him/her/them.

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What’s up @Koko, I recently found out that a friend of mine is HIV positive and that she’s had the virus for years. She’s smart, fun to be around, and has only had sex with two guys her whole life. Now I’m afraid to be with anyone because if someone like her can get HIV, how can I know who’s safe and who isn’t? If she has HIV, then anyone could! I’m scared to date! What should I do?
@Dana