As a sexual health educator on a college campus, I run into a lot of people who don’t think sexual health education applies to them. Ok, maybe you are abstinent, or perhaps you have sex frequently and have a good handle on what you’re doing, or maybe you saw one sex ed video in high school that showed you about condoms, and that’s all you need.

While these are all understandable reasons to think sexual health education doesn’t apply to you, I’m here to tell you it does. There’s a lot of misinformation and a lot of information about sexual health high schoolers tend to not have access to.

However, college is a great time to get educated, not just on your degree, but in all aspects of your life.

I am lucky to have the opportunity to teach my peers full, comprehensive sex ed. This means it’s inclusive of all sexualities and gender identities, as well as focusing on consent, communication, pleasure, and the sexual health/biological aspect.

Whether you’re choosing to be abstinent or having sex regularly, it’s important to be educated about sexual health, and here’s why:

1. It’s your body’s biology

Much like you need to know how your body digests food, creates muscle, and functions in general, it’s important to know how your sexual anatomy works as well. The penis and vagina might be “pretty self-explanatory” but they’re actually rather complex portions of your body and it’s beneficial for your general health to know how they work.

2. You might not have gotten a full sex-ed in high school (or ever)

Unfortunately, the Sexual Education standards in the U.S. are extremely poor. Only 24 states require sex ed, and only 20 states require that sex ed be medically accurate. This means that information you may have learned through the sex-ed in your high school might not have been correct.

Also, a lot of states only allow for abstinence-only education, in which no information is given on how to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancy, STIs (sexually transmitted infections) or HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

3. Knowing more can help you better protect yourself

Okay, so maybe in high school you learned about STIs. I learned about them through a slideshow of disgusting, infected genitalia. Shortly after I was told that one in two sexually active people would contract an STI in their lifetime, and then I was given some condoms.

So, yes, I was informed about STIs but I never learned about how they were transmitted or how I could protect myself (especially during oral sex).

4. You can communicate with others better

If you can talk about sex, you can talk about almost anything. With the social taboos surrounding discussions of sexual health, consent, and pleasure, it feels awkward to talk about something that needs to be talked about (especially with partners).

However, once you gain the ability to talk about your STI status, what you like in bed, and what your limits are, regular communication starts to become a lot easier as well.

5. You could learn some cool new moves

You probably already knew there was more than one way of having sex, but did you know there were different things you can add to make it more fun? Maybe you want to try something new but can’t rely on the unrealistic portrayals in porn.

Plus, how to navigate consent and safer sex can be difficult when all media shows is unprotected sex that suddenly happens. Believe it or not, sex educators can help you figure out how to have pleasurable sex that includes all of these aspects, to make your sexual encounters smoother and more enjoyable.

6. You can help educate others

Whether you’re having sex or not, it’s never a bad thing to be educated. Maybe you’ll be able to refer a friend to some resources or recommend a certain form of birth control.

A peer-to-peer education approach is helpful because your friends may be more comfortable asking you general sex ed questions than a professional (though it is recommended to talk to a professional for the tougher, more specific questions).

It might seem "too late" to receive a proper sexual health education, but there's no better time like the present. Make sure you have all of the information you need so you can make decisions for yourself that make you comfortable and happy in your life.