Milly
Dawson, in the Journal of Adolescent
Health writes how parents are becoming more willing for their daughters to
consume contraceptive methods, yet unplanned pregnancies and sexually
transmitted diseases rates have increased over the past 20 years. In a phone survey
of 261 parents/caregivers, they expressed their attitudes and beliefs about
contraceptives. The birth control pill came on top, followed in descending
order by condoms, injectable contraceptives, morning after pill, birth control
patches, implants and intrauterine device (IUDs). The main similarity between
parents who accept some kind of contraceptive is the recognition of their teen
daughters “autonomy,” but parents who do not accept IUDs usually do so because
they do not approve of their daughters being involved in an ongoing sexual
relationship. A former member of Planned Parenthood suggested that parents
attitudes toward long-acting contraceptives were probably influenced by the
Dalkon Shield, a strongly marketed IUD, which had many health problems. Even
though using contraceptive methods may have risks, many say the risks of
pregnancy are worse.
From a
different perspective, Charles Bankhead of MedPage Today writes about how The
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) has publicly approved
of contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices claiming them to be the most
effective contraceptives. ACOG also claimed that long acting contraceptives are
beneficial for teens because so many teens have had sexual intercourse while only
using short acting contraceptive, making them more vulnerable to pregnancy. A
study of contraceptive usage of 4,167 women between 15 to 45 years of age
showed that women 20 or older had a continuation rate of 80% or higher and younger women had 72%, which
was higher than other women their age using short acting methods. The unplanned
pregnancy rates were also much better compared to other methods. For example,
women were 22 times at higher risk for pregnancy while using short- acting
methods. Many professionals recommend long acting reversible contraceptive
because it does not require daily attention, but they also recommend using
condoms to decrease the risk of catching STIs (Sexually transmitted infections)
while using long action methods. Even though many barriers exist for using long
acting methods, such as cost, they can usually be overcome by using public
clinics.
Over time
both parents and professionals are becoming more welcoming toward long acting
reversible contraceptives methods by researching and making these methods safer
to women.
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