Cooper, James: Teens and Contraception

Sexual health has been an important topic over the course of history. It is best defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. Adolescent’s sexual health knowledge depends on parents communicating the knowledge of sexual health to their active and, knowledge helps teenagers and parents’ opinions about long-acting contraceptive methods.

Parents can help increase contraceptive usage by sexually-active teenagers. In the first article, lead author Lauren Hartman states that “Among U.S. adolescents, the rates of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections remains high.” A recent survey reprinted in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that parents who recognized their teens’ autonomy were the most likely to accept the use of birth control but, they were more accepting of birth control pills and condoms in contrast to more effective contraceptive methods such as implants. The authors believed that the parental disapproval of long-acting contraceptive methods was primarily based around the issue of the Dalkon shield and its ban in the United States. They also believed that parents associate long-acting contraceptives with continuous sexual relationships as well. Many clinicians have now made it a goal to educate parents about long-acting contraceptive methods and STD prevention in order to reduce unwanted pregnancies and to prevent STDs. Long-acting contraception methods and implants have a positive effect on lowering teen pregnancy in the United States today.

The second article discussed stated that contraceptive implants offer better protection against unwanted pregnancies than other methods and that short-acting contraceptives led to higher rates of pregnancy. Writing about implants members of the ACOG Committee on Adolescent Health Care stated that “These contraceptives have the highest rates of satisfaction and continuation of all reversible contraceptives. Adolescents are at high risk of unintended pregnancy and may benefit from increased access to long-acting reversible contraceptive methods.” Many sexually active teens use contraceptives, but rarely use them effectively and around 80% of all unwanted pregnancies occur through the misusage of contraceptives. The article stated that increasing access to long-acting reversible contraceptives is an opportunity for clinicians to persuade the public about the effectiveness of these types of contraceptives. Another study concluded that two-thirds of young women use long-acting contraceptives. Doctors now want to spread awareness of long-active contraceptives to the public and reduce unwanted pregnancies.