Have you realized how much more common it is to
hear someone ages 15-19 are becoming pregnant lately then a few years ago? So
why not use a contraceptive, especially the most effective contraceptive? Some contraceptives
are more actually effective than others based on studies. They show that
long-term contraceptives work better than short-term contraceptives, but oddly
enough, parents of teens actually prefer their child to use short-term
contraceptives.
According to the Journal of Adolescent Health by Milly Dawson, parents are more accepting for their daughters to take a
short-term contraceptive offered at the doctor’s office, such as birth control
pills. According to a phone survey of 261 parents of teens they preferred their
daughter to use “birth control (59 percent), condoms (51 percent), injectable
contraceptives (46 percent), emergency contraception, also known as the
morning-after pill (45 percent), birth control patches (42 percent), implants
(32 percent) and intrauterine devices or IUDs (18 percent). Teens also prefer the easier, short-term
contraceptives as well” (Dawson).
Teenage pregnancies are mostly the result of not
using contraceptives or by misusing them. “An update to an opinion issued in
2007 the statement points out that 42% of adolescents ages 15 to 19 have engaged
in sexual intercourse," (Bankhead). He also states that teenagers are
responsible for 20% of unintended pregnancies in the United States. And that
80% are unintended. Also, short -term contraceptives have a 22% higher rate of
pregnancy than long-term contraceptives.
Teens who choose to participate in sexual
intercourse need to be more educated on the contraceptives they are choosing.
So should their parents. Although the short-term contraceptive is easier and
may seem faster, it is a lot easier to become pregnant using these short-term
contraceptives rather than using a long-term contraceptive.
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