Teenagers have safer sex than they did 20 years ago

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that condom usage among teenagers is more frequent that it was 20 years ago. Considering they're more open to contraceptives, perhaps more teenagers will make a decision to buy Mirena.

According to the study, 60 percent of the sexually active teenagers who participated in the study this year used protection during their most recent sexual encounter. Back in 1991, that percentage was 46 percent.

"That is good news, but we need to do a lot more" said Dr. Kevin Fenton, the director of the CDC's HIV prevention center, quoted by the Associated Press. 

Of course, the ultimate form of birth control and STD-protection is abstinence. Only 47 percent of the teens surveyed reported being sexually active, as opposed to the 54 percent in 1991. The biggest change was the percentage of sexually active black teenagers which plummeted to 60 percent, way down from 82 percent in 1991.

Fenton expressed the need for more well-rounded sex education in schools, and stated this would help reduce the number of new HIV infections.