There is nothing wrong with you. It is really normal for a 13-year-old boy or girl to think about sex a lot, be curious about sex and even want to try having sex. Sometimes these feelings may be overwhelming.

Some very powerful hormones have started to surge through your body by the time you’re 13. These hormone surges begin during puberty and have probably just started recently for you. These intense sexual feelings are something almost everyone experiences at some point. Some feel them as young as 13 and others when they are older.

Here is what is really important: Even though you may feel turned on or horny, it doesn’t mean you are ready to have sex. You aren’t. There is a lot more to having a good sexual experience than just feeling desire or being curious about what sex might feel like. It is really, really important to also have a healthy and trusting relationship with a partner before you have any kind sexual experience.

It is also important to understand all the good things and bad things that can result from having sex. Sex is just one of many ways to share intimacy with a partner and it has the most serious consequences, like getting pregnant or getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

Some teens find that masturbation can help relieve their sexual feelings if they become overwhelming. Masturbation is when someone touches his or her own body for sexual pleasure. It can sometimes result in orgasm.

Eventually, you will decide when you are ready to be sexual with a partner. At that point, be sure you can talk openly with your partner, so that you can explain what you do want to do and don’t want to do. For example, maybe you feel comfortable kissing and rubbing with clothes on, but don’t want to go any further. Both partners need to know each other’s limits, so that no one feels forced, uncomfortable or regrets something the next day.

Someday you will feel ready for sex. Many teens wait until they’ve graduated from high school or are in a certain kind of committed relationship, like being in love, being with a person for a certain amount of time or married. At that point, make sure it is something you are 100% certain about and won’t have any regrets about. Talk to friends, parents or someone you trust to make sure this is a healthy decision. Take time to talk to your partner about it, too, and make sure it is what he/she also wants.

If you are having sex with a same-sex or opposite-sex partner make sure you both know how to practice safer sex.  If you are having sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite gender, then make sure that you have already talked to your doctor or a health care provider at a clinic about what form of birth control to use. Also be sure you know how to use a condom correctly.

Like Sebastian says in “No Regrets: Teens on the First Time”, “[Teens] should only [have sex] because they want to, not because someone is forcing them, because it would be very sad if they regret it.”

Most likely if you really take time to make sure you are ready for sex, then it will feel good and you won’t regret it later. And isn’t that the point?