Oprah surveys moms on having the sex talk with daughters
O, The Oprah Magazine and Seventeen magazine partnered to survey mothers and daughters about their communication (or lack thereof) about sex.”It can be awkward for mothers to talk to their teenage daughters about sex,” said O, The Oprah Magazine editor-in-chief Susan Reed. “Our study tells both sides of the story, and they don’t seem to be in synch. We learned that mothers - nearly three-quarters of whom (74%) didn’t have The Talk with their own mothers before their first time - seem to be open to talking with their daughters, they just need the right communication tools to be heard.”
Seventeen editor-in-chief Ann Shoket said: “A lot of girls are hiding important information from their moms, or avoiding the subject completely. But girls who talk to their moms are half as likely to get pregnant. The mother daughter talk is more important now than ever.”
The study revealed the risky behavior that girls are trying to hide from their mothers:
Over three-quarters (78%) of the girls surveyed, who are no longer virgins, say they’ve had sex without using a condom, and 65% of them admit they lied about or hid it from their mothers.
More than half (56%) of the girls who are no longer virgins say they’ve had sex without any form of birth control and two-thirds of them (66%) have kept it a secret from Mom.
Nearly one-third (30%) of the 15 to 18-year olds in the survey have had oral sex; about double the number mother’s of girls in that age group know about-or even suspect (14%).
But having The Talk does make a difference:
When asked how talking to their mothers affected their decisions about sex, three in five (60%) of the girls said it had influenced them.
About one-quarter (26%) of girls say having The Talk with their mothers has made them practice (or plan to practice) safe sex. The same number said it made them wait (or plan to wait) longer to have it.
18% of girls said having The Talk made them use (or plan to use) hormonal birth control.
Any tips from moms who have had these difficult and potentially awkward conversations? How young is too young to start talking about this topic?
Aisha covered education and breaking news for nearly ten years before joining the Lifestyle staff where she writes a "Dirty Laundry" parenting column. She is the home and family editor and wastes too much time on Facebook and political blogs. 
I thought moms having the sex talk with their daughters was an excellent topic. Why not having the talk with them? Many know more about sex including oral sex,than most of us know now. It is sad that many of them thinks that having oral sex is safer than intercourse. Can you say naive.
Girls are getting their first periods as early as nine or ten years old so starting early is important. I recommend the following books from the American Girl Library.
The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls
http://www.amazon.com/Care-Keeping-You-American-Library/dp/1562476661/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
The Feelings Book: The Care & Keeping of Your Emotions
http://www.amazon.com/Feelings-Book-Keeping-Emotions-American/dp/1584855282/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b
I have talked with my girls very openly about sex and their bodies. They are 12 and 13 and know that they can come to me about anything. We have also discussed things like yeast infections and other “woman” problems. My oldest said talking about yeast infections was gross and I told her that she has a vagina and better know all she can about it! It is so important, now more than ever, to talk to our girls, because if we don’t, it’s going to be some smooth talking little Romeo that will do it for us. PLEASE!!! Talk with your kids, boys and girls, in age appropriate ways their entire lives, then “the Talk” isn’t really necessary and these discussions become alot less awkward.
If you wait until they’re teens, you’re too late… I don’t think there is a too young age or an appropriate talk about sex, the body, etc. Like mom of two girls said, if you start early, it’s a natural progression an not an ‘event’ to be dreaded.