Welcome to Pregnancy Guide
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
You may also listen to this article by using the following controls.
Teenage Pregnancy – Don’t Blame the Victim
from:Teenage pregnancy, also referred to as adolescent pregnancy, is defined as pregnancy occurring in women up to 19 years old. Teenage pregnancy is a significant social issue in many nations, though in some it is natural for adolescents to marry young and have children at a young age. In nations where this is not the case, though, teenage pregnancy is an extremely difficult experience for young women; though teenage girls are technically able to give birth physically, they are not ready emotionally or financially to raise children.
Statistics say that about 34% of young women become pregnant at least once before reaching 20 years old (about 820,000). As is the case around the world, experts agree that behind the phenomenon of teenage pregnancy lies a lack of sexual education. Girls may not know how to prevent pregnancy and they often believe myths regarding pregnancy prevention (like douching after sex using Pepsi or Coke).
Whatever the view as to why girls get pregnant, all agree that a teenage girl’s life changes upon finding out she is pregnant. Because of this, there are a number of programs worldwide to help prevent teenage pregnancy and opinions differ as to how to structure these programs and what their focus should be.
A big debate concerns whether abstinence-only programs are valid methods of dealing with the teenage pregnancy phenomenon; many researchers believe that sex education, including information regarding contraception, is essential to equip teenagers in the battle against teen pregnancy. Supporters of abstinence-only programs argue that including information about contraception is a sign to adolescents to be sexually active; studies, however, seem to show that there is no increase of sexual activity among students who receive information regarding birth control. Supporters of sex education claim that abstinence-only programs do nothing to help adolescents feel more comfortable talking about their sexuality and so teens will be most likely to avoid seeking adults for advice in confusing situations.
Many girls do not know that there are various birth control methods available. Depo-Provera is injected into a woman’s arm muscle or buttocks every 3 months in order to prevent ovulation, alter cervical mucus and prevent implantation. Norplant is an implant made of 6 matchstick-sized rubber rods which is inserted under the skin by a doctor and is effective for 5 years. Low-dose birth control pills, condoms, contraceptive jelly, and emergency contraceptive pills are also available.
Within 72 hours of having sex, a girl can take an emergency contraceptive pill. If it is already late for that, the girl will have to decide between keeping the child, putting it up for adoption (which can be closed or open), putting it in foster care, or having an abortion.
Once a girl is pregnant, she needs to know that she has choices, and she must choose what is best for her. Even if girls are ashamed at talking with their family members, there are a number of doctors and clinics open which offer counseling services, like Planned Parenthood.
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=Q3835304521&pID=62408&cat=teenage+pregnancy+prevention&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/cwatchco/public_html/preparents/teenage/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Specific links
Teenage Pregnancy Prevention News
Teen Pregnancy Rate Hits 30-Year Low - New York Times (blog)
 Daily Mail | Teen Pregnancy Rate Hits 30-Year Low New York Times (blog) By KJ DELL'ANTONIA Between 2006 and 2010, the number of unmarried teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 who reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they've had sex dropped below 50 percent. The CDC described this as an actual ... Teen Pregnancy Rate Hit 40-Year Low in 2008 Teen pregnancy rates reach 'dramatic' 40-year low in US Billboards boast Not Right Now, Put Pregnancy on Pause |
Britain tries to curb teen pregnancy with contraceptives, but without parental ... - newjerseynewsroom.com
 Telegraph.co.uk | Britain tries to curb teen pregnancy with contraceptives, but without parental ... newjerseynewsroom.com BY BOB HOLT Britain has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe, and a government initiative to lower the rates in Southampton has parents up in arms. Girls as young as 13 have been receiving contraceptive implants in school, ... Teenage contraceptive implants: NHS defends tactics Girls given contraceptive implants at school without parental consent Six-fold rise in underage girls given contraceptive implants in the past five ... |
Teen pregnancy rates drop in region - Toledo Blade
 Toledo Blade | Teen pregnancy rates drop in region Toledo Blade Teen pregnancy and births are dropping in Lucas County and statewide, which is a good sign, said Carol Haddix, pregnancy prevention coordinator for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department. Various pregnancy-prevention programs have cropped up in ... |
Teen Pregnancies Hit New Low, But Disparities Remain - NPR (blog)
Teen Pregnancies Hit New Low, But Disparities Remain NPR (blog) by Shefali S. Kulkarni Teen pregnancies are at their lowest rate in nearly 40 years, according to the latest data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization focused on sexual and reproductive health. The report shows that about 7 percent of ... |
Teenage pregnancy is not a racial issue - Medical Xpress
Teenage pregnancy is not a racial issue Medical Xpress While researchers have long set to determine if there is a tie between race and teenage pregnancy, according to a new study, equating black teenagers with the problem of teenage pregnancy is a misrepresentation of today's reality. Reducing state teen pregnancy Orphanages for teen pregnancy |
School teaches learners on teen pregnancy - New Era
 New Era | School teaches learners on teen pregnancy New Era A among these are suggestions from parents on how to tackle teenage pregnancies. Dramas, choir performances, motivational speeches are part of the weeklong programme. Parents, teachers, learners and the Councillor of the Moses //Garoeb Constituency, ... Striving for change |
Do teens know the facts of life? - Washington Post (blog)
 Los Angeles Times | Do teens know the facts of life? Washington Post (blog) By Jennifer LaRue Huget Much discussion about sex education and teen pregnancy prevention in the United States revolves around issues such as whether abstinence-only education is effective and the circumstances under which teens should have access to ... Half of Teen Moms Don't Use Birth Control — Why That's No Surprise US teen pregnancy rate remains highest in developed world Safeguarding pregnant teenagers' health |