What's this? guide
A.I.D.S – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS is caused by HIV read on to find out what HIV means. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when their body is too weak to fight off infection.
Abortion – A medical or surgical way to end a pregnancy.
Age of consent – The age when it is legal for someone to have sexual intercourse.
Anal sex – sex which involves a man putting his penis into another person’s bum hole (anus).
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) - an imbalance of the usual bacteria found in a woman’s vagina causing an abnormal vaginal discharge which can smell fishy and unpleasant.
Bisexual – someone who fancies both men and women and may have sex with both men and women.
Cervix – opening to the neck of the womb.
Clitoris – the most sexually sensitive part of a woman’s body. It is about the size of a pea and is above the opening to the vagina.
Consent – When someone agrees or gives permission for something. Both people must always consent before having sex.
Conception – This starts when a man’s sperm meets and fertilises a woman’s egg and ends when the fertilised egg implants in the womb. This is the start of a pregnancy.
Contraception – Ways of preventing pregnancy when a man and woman have sex, for example condoms and the pill.
Embryo – The start of a baby in the early stages of pregnancy.
Foetus – An unborn baby that has been growing inside a pregnant woman’s womb for eight weeks or more.
Gay or Homosexual – A man who fancies and may have sex with other men, or a woman who fancies and may have sex with other women.
Genitals – the sexual parts outside of the body. For girls and women this is the vulva and for boys and men this is the penis and testicles.
Heterosexual or Straight – A man who fancies and may have sex with women, or a woman who fancies and may have sex with men.
H.I.V. – Human Immunodeficiency Virus. A virus that gradually attacks cells in the immune system and may in time lead to AIDS. HIV is a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) and can be prevented by wearing a condom but cannot be cured.
Hormones – Chemicals made inside the body which help with growth and development
Lesbian – A woman who fancies and may have sex with other women.
Masturbation – When someone touches themselves for sexual pleasure. A boy or man might rub his penis and a girl or woman might rub her clitoris.
Miscarriage – When a pregnancy ends early because something is wrong.
Oral sex – Using the mouth and tongue to give sexual pleasure to your partner. This may involve kissing, licking and sucking a man’s penis or a woman’s clitoris.
Orgasm – Intense feelings of pleasure at the peak of sexual excitement.
Penis – The male sexual organ. This fills with blood and becomes hard when a boy or man is sexually excited and getting ready for sex.
Period – When a woman sheds the bloody lining of her womb through her vagina. This is part of the menstrual cycle which is the body’s way of preparing for pregnancy.
Pregnancy – When a baby grows inside a woman’s womb.
Puberty – The time when a girl develops into a woman and a boy develops into a man. This takes many years and involves changes in your body, thoughts and emotions.
Pubic hair - Hair which begins to grow during puberty around the male or female genitals.
Rape – when sex is forced on another person. This is against the law.
Semen – the milky sticky liquid which squirts out of a boy’s or man’s penis when he ejaculates (cums).
Sexual abuse – when someone does something sexual to another person that is unwanted or against their will. It is against the law for an adult to have sexual contact with a child or young person, or for any person to force or threaten someone to have sexual contact if they don’t want to. If you want to talk to someone about abuse please see our list of places to go for help- what can I do if I am being abused?
Sexual activity – Any sexual behaviour such as kissing, touching, oral sex and masturbation.
Sexual intercourse – Sexual activity when a man’s penis fits inside a woman’s vagina (vaginal intercourse) or a man or woman’s bum hole (anal intercourse).
Sexuality – how someone feels about themselves sexually and how they relate to other people sexually.
Sexual identity – whether someone feels they are gay, straight, bisexual, transgender or are not sure where they fit in (questioning).
Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) – an infection passed on from one person to another through sexual activity. Some infections can be easy to treat and others like HIV cannot be cured.
Sperm – the tiny male sex cells that are contained in semen. Each time a boy or man ejaculates millions of sperm are produced but it only takes one of these to fertilise a woman’s egg and make a baby. The bead of liquid on the tip of a hard penis also contains thousands of sperm. This is why a condom should be worn before any sexual contact between you and your partner.
Testes/testicles – Most men have two testicles that hang outside the body, just behind the penis. This is where sperm are produced.
Thrush or Candida - a fungal infection that causes irritation and swelling of the vagina and vulva.
Transgender – When someone feels different inside to the body they are in. This could be someone who feels they are a girl/woman but has a male body or someone who feels they are a boy/man but has a female body.
Vagina – the tube inside a girl or woman’s body that leads from her genitals to her cervix and womb. During sexual intercourse a man’s penis fits inside a woman’s vagina.
Vulva – The outside sexual parts of a girl’s or woman’s body. This consists of two sets of lips called labia, the clitoris and the opening to the vagina. There is also a very small hole to the urethra where wee comes out.
Womb or uterus – this is where a baby grows during pregnancy.
