Teenage girls are not shy when it comes to talking to their parents about sex or birth control, according to a new study.

Researchers asked 1,500 teenage girls younger than 18 who had visited a family planning clinic if they talk with their parents about sex-related issues. Nearly 60 percent of the girls said a parent knew about the visits to the family planning clinic.

The study demonstrated that teens using the family planning clinics maintained good relationships with their parents and were able to communicate about sexual issues. "It's not only talking about sex. It's being there and developing a relationship," said Marilyn Maxwell, M.D., a professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Between 50 percent and 80 percent of the teens said they could talk to a parent, depending on the topic, and only 7 percent said they had not discussed sexual issues with their parents at all.

The study, published in the most recent Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health report, showed that 42 percent of teens had talked to a parent about how to say "no" to sex, 32 percent talked about where to get prescription birth control, and 33 percent talked about how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Only one in five teens reported feeling parental disapproval for having sex and using birth control.

The study also reported that girls younger than 15 were more likely to have told their parents about visiting a family planning clinic than the 17-year-olds.

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