Scientists at the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences have expressed concern after a study showed an increasing number of females are losing their virginity at a younger age.
More than 40 percent of girls have already lost their virginity by the age of 15 — a year younger than the legal age of consent in Russia — researchers said in a study titled "Medical and Social Problems of Raising Teenagers," Izvestia reported Monday.
In 1995, that figure stood at 30 percent.
Lyudmila Sukhareva, deputy director of an academy institute dealing with children's health, warned that such an early start to one's sexual life could result in reproductive problems as well as increase the likelihood of contracting gynecological diseases, Izvestia reported.
Among 650 17-year-olds surveyed in the suburbs of Moscow, not a single virgin was found, the study showed.
No margin of error was given in the survey.