Prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection
Can be used with another form of birth control for extra protection
Safe, effective, and easy to get
Cost about $1 each, but are sometimes available for free
School Comes First
Parenthood is the leading reason why teen girls drop out of school; after all, it’s really difficult to juggle homework and a baby. Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than 2% earn a college degree by age 30.
Children of teen mothers do worse in school than those born to older parents they are 50% more likely to repeat a grade, are less likely to complete high school than the children of older mothers, and have lower performance on standardized tests.
About one-fourth of teen moms have a second child within 24 months of the first birth which can further delay their ability to finish school or keep a job.
Have A Plan
Start by thinking it through carefully yourself. Are you ready to have sex? Are you going to wait? Though there are a variety of ways to avoid pregnancy, they can be boiled down to two basic strategies:
Delay Sex: Not having sex at all is the only 100% effective method of preventing pregnancy and STIs.
Use Contraception: If you do choose to have sex, you need to make sure that you use protection correctly every single time you have sex. There are a variety of types of contraception, so do some research and figure out which method is right for you.
Teen Medical Risks Lack of prenatal care
Teenage girls who are pregnant, especially if they don't have support from their parents are at risk of not getting adequate prenatal care. Prenatal care is critical, especially in the first months of pregnancy. Prenatal care screens for medical problems in both mother and baby, monitors the baby's growth, and deals quickly with any complications that arise. Prenatal vitamins with folic acid, ideally takenbefore getting pregnant are essential in helping to help prevent certain birth defects, such as neural tube defects.
High blood pressure
Pregnant teens have a higher risk of getting high blood pressure called pregnancy-induced hypertension, than pregnant women in their 20s or 30s. They also have a higher risk of preeclampsia. This is a dangerous medical condition that combines high blood pressure with excess protein in the urine, swelling of a mother's hands and face, and organ damage.
In 2008, the latest year for which statistics are available, the U.S. pregnancy rate among girls between 15 and 19 was 67.8 per 1,000, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy. The rate has steadily declined since 1991, when it was 117 per 1,000 teens between the same ages. U.S. teen birth rates have also declined. In 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate was 34.3 births per 1,000 teens, compared to 61.8 births per 1,000 teens in 1991. Fewer babies were born to teenagers in 2010 than in any year since 1946. Still, the teen birth rate in the U.S. remains nine times higher than in other developed countries, according to the CDC.
Birth Control
Take a pill each day to prevent pregnancy
Safe, effective, and convenient
Easy to get with a prescription
Cost about $15–$50 each month
Babies are great, they’re cute and cuddly and they love you, but they’re also needy and selfish, they want all your time and attention and they want it NOW. Be honest, there are a million things you'd rather be doing than changing a diaper, right? So if you decide to have sex, Have you considered the consequences of getting pregnant/causing a pregnancy? Weirdly enough, almost 50% of teens have never thought about how a pregnancy would affect their lives even though having a baby could be one of the most life-changing things to happen to them.
You may think having a baby will make your relationship even stronger, but the fact is 8 out of 10 fathers don't marry the mother of their child. It's also true that these absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support, often because they are poor themselves and can’t afford legitimate support payments.
It’s hardest on the kids
More than half of all mothers on welfare had their first child as a teenager. In fact, two-thirds of families begun by a young, unmarried mother are poor.
Children who live apart from their fathers are 5 times more likely to be poor than children with both parents at home.
The daughters of young teen mothers are 3 times more likely to become teen mothers themselves.
The sons of teen mothers are twice as likely to end up in prison.
Whether you choose to have sex or not, it is important to be able to talk about it with your partner. Having direct conversations about sex can be difficult or embarrassing, but if you are confident about your facts and able to express openly how you feel it should be easier. So take some time to get informed and to think through what feels right for you. It may be helpful to talk these decisions over with a close friend, parent, doctor, or other trusted adult before you talk to your partner. When you are clear about your own feelings, it will be easier to communicate them to someone else. And don’t wait until you’re in the heat of the moment to make these decisions having a plan means being prepared before you’re in the moment.
The majority of these pregnancies were unplanned. Unplanned teenage pregnancies can lead to higher high school dropout rates, higher rates of single parenthood, and lowering scores in math and reading. Stopping teenage pregnancy requires a hands-on connection between parents and children, a good educational foundation, and unbiased resources. Teaching sex education to stop pregnancy, Sex education starts in the home