Holiman, Ashlyn: Teens and Contraception

            In the article “IUDs, Implants Best Teen Birth Control, ACOG Says,” Charles Bankhead discusses the use of intrauterine devices for adolescents. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) claims that IUDs are the most effective use of birth control for teens.

            Today, more and more adolescents are becoming sexually active. With this increasing percentage, the rates of unintended pregnancies and STDs are quite high. As Bankhead points out, though most sexually active teens use some form of contraceptive, they tend to choose the more failure-prone methods, such as condoms, withdrawal, and oral contraceptives. In recent studies, evidence shows that rates of unintentional pregnancies were 22 times higher while using short-term contraceptive methods than long-term methods. Also, younger women were more affected than the older users when using short-term methods.

            Bankhead states that obstacles for adolescents include “lack of familiarity, misperceptions, high cost, lack of access, and healthcare providers‘ concerns about safety.” A study showed that if made more readily available, over two-thirds of females aged 14-20 would chose long-term reversible contraception. If clinics increase teen knowledge and access to IUDs and implants, they could help decrease the rates of unintended pregnancies and STDs in America’s youth.

            Another problem with teen access to IUDs is parents. In an article by Milly Dawson, she points out that “parents of teen girls are more ready to accept their daughters being offered birth control pills and condoms during doctor visits than other, more effective and long-acting contraceptive methods.” A study led by Lauren Hartman, M.D. revealed parents’ attitudes towards various contraception for their teens. Of the seven listed methods, parents’ preferred birth control (59%) and condoms (51%) the most. Implants and IUDs were at the bottom of the list, at 32% and 18% respectively. Hartman said, “The strongest predictor of acceptability of all methods was parental recognition of their teens’ autonomy.” Researchers believe that the parents who are against use of long-acting contraception associate these methods with a continuing sexual relationship. Obstetrician-gynecologist, Cori Baill, M.D. stated that some parents might also focus on the past problems seen with the Dalkon shield. With the increasing pregnancy and STD problems with adolescents, it is the clinics’ job to help educate the parents about these problems and about the benefits of long-acting contraception. As Baill said, parents also need to realize that the risks of teen pregnancy overshadow risks that come along with any contraception.