I'm a freshman in high school and I've had sex a few times, all with the same guy. We've always used protection, but each time I still get so worried, knowing that there is still a chance that I could be pregnant. Will this feeling ever go away? Is there something I can do to better protect myself? I can't tell my mom I'm having sex and ask her to put me on the pill. I'm only 15! And in a way I regret having sex in the first place because it's not all that it's cracked up to be.

Nicole

I can't say for sure when or if your fears about pregnancy will go away , but they may continue as long as you have mixed feelings about having sex. And, of course, as long as having a child would really derail your life.

What could you do to better protect yourself? Well, you COULD talk to your mom or another trusted adult relative and ask for help and suggestions. Or you could check with the Planned Parenthood or public health clinic in your community to see whether they could prescribe birth control pills for you without your parents' knowledge or consent. (That, of course, would depend on state law and agency policies.)

If you consider taking birth control pills, please keep in mind that they are not 100 percent effective and do not protect against disease. You will need to use condoms to protect against venereal disease and HIV infection. Also, even many grown women don't know that birth control pills' effectiveness can be lessened when they interact with other medications, such as antibiotics. If you plan to rely on birth control pills for contraception, be sure to ask your physician or pharmacist about any medications that could lessen their effectiveness.

Now here's another option. What about not having further sexual intercourse until you feel more able to handle a possible pregnancy? Like you said, you're only 15. How about waiting until you finish high school? No one says that once you've started having sex, you have to continue having sex. (OK, teen-aged boys may say that, but it's their hormones talking instead of their brains or hearts.)

And no, sex isn't all it's cracked up to be, if you're referring to the fantasy versions of sex and relationships Hollywood presents. Not everybody can live up to that ideal. And yet sex is also MORE than it's cracked up to be, when two people love, trust and respect each other and are committed to their relationship and whatever it may produce -- including children. When you're older and have that kind of relationship, sex can be a truly joyous experience.