This book is intended to provide basic information to a young person who would like to know more about their bodies and sex and to inform them of the options that are available. It is not intended to replace information from doctors and other service providers and is designed to act as a starting point. Every attempt has been made to ensure the information provided is correct however please be aware that information can change over time.

This book has been produced as part of the Making Choices program – a program aimed at supporting young people to make informed choices about their intimate relationships, sexual health and wellbeing.

We would like to thank the many young men and women of Tasmania who assisted in developing this book, including the Hutchins School, Centacare, Department of Health and Human Services Men’s Health, the Men’s Shed, Youth Network of Tasmania (YNOT) and the Link Youth Health Service. We would also like to thank the many people and service providers who contributed their time in editing, proofreading and reviewing this book.

Other books available in this series are:

• Making Choices: A book for young women who think they might be pregnant.
• Being young...and pregnant...and about to be a mum.
• Making Choices: A book for young women who are pregnant and do not want to continue the pregnancy.
• Making Choices: A book for young women who are pregnant and would like to know more about adoption.
• Relationships...sex...and you: A guide for young people, male and female, who want to know more about intimate relationships.

Making Choices Program
Family Planning Tasmania Inc.

Being a young person isn’t always easy; the world can be a tough, competitive and sometimes scary place. Lots of things happen to young people between the ages of 16 and 24, like graduating from school, maybe going to university or workplace training, getting a job, voting, moving out of home and learning to be independent and paying their own bills. It’s an exciting time and there are lots of things to think about.

This is also a time when bodies are maturing and developing their own unique sexual identity. You may also be thinking about starting an intimate relationship… and having sex. An intimate relationship involves physical and emotional closeness. However, that’s a lot to cover in one book, so in this book we focus on the body, and in our other book ‘Relationships, sex and you,’ we focus on the emotions.

This book looks at the physical side of intimacy; the body, sex and orgasms. It describes the male and female genitalia, what happens during sexual intercourse, orgasms, masturbation, different forms of contraception that are available and sexually transmissible infections.

And remember…the better a couple understands their own and their partner’s body…the better the intimacy.