Sexual history-taking is the first step towards providing reproductive, contraceptive and sexually transmitted infection (STI) counselling. Taking a sexual history from a patient can help the healthcare professional in their attempts to reduce high-risk sexual behaviours, STIs and unintended pregnancies, and also offer an opportunity to provide the patient with information and support. Adolescents are having sex: the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles in Great Britain, published in 2000, found that nearly one-third of men and a quarter of women aged 16–19 had engaged in heterosexual intercourse before the age of 16.