4 in 10 women weren't 'ready' when they lost their virginity

A quarter of men felt the same way

When it comes to having sex for the first time, there's no one size fits all rule about timing.

But according to a new study published in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, 4 in 10 women say it wasn't the 'right' time to have sex when they lost their virginity, and a quarter of men felt the same.

The experts asked 2,845 Brits between the ages of 17 and 24 about the first time they had sex. Questions included whether both parties were equally keen to get down, whether they thought the decision was theirs or their partner's, whether they used contraception and if they thought it was the 'right' time (for the sex to count as at the 'right' time it needed to consensual, using contraception, their own decision and took into account how ready the individual felt they were).

Of those in the study, 40% of women didn't meet the four criteria, meaning they weren't 'ready' to have sex.

The research also found that 10% of participants didn't use contraception when they had sex for the first time, and 20% of women reported it was their partner's decision to sleep together.

Experts involved in the study also stated that 'chronological age may be an overly simplistic indicator of the nature of first intercourse'.

To clarify, that means that your age doesn't dictate when you're 'ready' for sex - there are also many other important factors to take into consideration.

Were you 'ready' the first time you had sex?