Premarital sexual experience among adolescent women--United States, 1970-1988.

The initiation of sexual intercourse early in life is associated with an increased number of sex partners and a greater risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This report describes trends in age at first premarital sexual intercourse for adolescent women (15-19 years of age) in the United States during 1970-1988 and indicates an accelerated increase in the proportion having had premarital sex from 1986 to 1988.