Is sex OK if you are engaged? This is a question that a younger woman or man may want to ask. However, the answer will depend on the culture they grew up in and the culture they live in. Prohibitions against sex before marriage are very strong in many societies and almost non-existent in others. While an eighteen year old girl may ask herself, is sex OK if you are engaged, her divorced, twenty-nine year old sister will probably not ask the same question. A girl from a very observant family of any of the great religions of the world will likely be more concerned about sex and pregnancy before marriage than someone who is not especially concerned about religion. There is also the practical side of this question: is sex OK if you are engaged? Many couples engage in sex early in their dating while others may not have overt sex until marriage. The concerns of a young woman in many cultures is that she will be seen as “used” if she is known to have had sex. If she has a child she may not be able to find a husband in her culture, especially in a small town or a closed society. There are many men and women who have had sex before marriage as well as before being engaged. Many, many of these people have lived happy and fulfilled lives. Ask them, is sex OK if you are engaged and they will likely reply that it is best to use condoms or other birth control measures and to be discrete about the fact.

If It Goes Against Your Religion

If having sex before marriage goes against your religious beliefs and those of your family, you will probably want to avoid the sex act until your wedding night. However, all people have biological urges and many times even the most religious person bends to his or her urges instead of following his or her strict religious beliefs. What does a person do? If having sex results in a child it is common that the young man and woman get married, live with one set of parents or the other, and get an early start on adult life. There also are times when the fact that a young woman is pregnant is seen as a stigma on the family and she is sent away to have the baby which is then given away in adoption. Is sex OK if you are engaged in such a situation? Only if you are discrete and don’t get pregnant!

As A Practical Matter

Is sex OK if you are engaged, or even before, if this is your second time around? Adults in their thirties and beyond are used to having sex with their partner. It is not a new experience and is commonly an experience that helps in developing a strong and lasting relationship. If there is no religious reason to avoid sex and the two of you are consenting adults, sex ought to be OK. Just don’t forget the condoms and then enjoy each other.