i´m someone who recklessly lost my virginity and really regretted it. i was sixteen and super in love with a really not great guy (that ended up abusing me lmao) who was clearly only using me for his sexual desires...but i was obsessed and also never ever been pursued by another man before so it was thrilling. the whole "relationship" ended up being very very messy and the sex was just one of the many bad parts. after that i kind of went spiraling and engaging in some other sexual encounters after that only to feel wanted. it messed me up big time, because i´m not really the person for one night stands or friends with benefits or antyhing of that nature to begin with.
i really regret it and doing it with people i dont even feel safe with wasn´t the right choice. BUT this doesn´t have to be true for everyone, it´s just my experience.
i ended up getting in a long term relationship and i waited quite some time (about a little over a year or so) to have my first time with my boyfriend. there was some petting before but never the real deal. it was an amazingly intimate experience to me and it truly felt right for me. love brings sex to a whole other level in my opinion. it didn´t go perfectly or movie-like at all and there was quite some struggling for sure but it wasn´t bad regardless because i trust and love him so much.
in conclusion, my advice is to take your time and don´t feel pressured to lose your virginity. i understand, there´s probably some kind of curiousity maybe but don´t stress yourself. i lost mine at sixteen, but i´d much rather have lost it when i truely felt ready and truely wanted to (and not feel obligated to) i would also recommend to share this experience with someone you *trust* and feel comfortable with!