Have you every wondered why there
are so many teen pregnancies and why they do not use some type of
contraceptive? Well, some contraceptives are actually more effective than
others. Through many different studies, it has been found that long-term
contraceptives have a higher effective rate than short-term
contraceptives. Contrary to these
findings, most parents would rather have their children take short-term
contraceptives.
According
to the Journal of Adolescent Health,
when parents take their children to the doctor’s office, they are more accepting
of their children receiving short-term contraceptives such as birth control
pills. A phone survey by Milly Dawson of 216 parents of children aged anywhere
from 12-17 asked which contraceptives they preferred. The survey found that 59%
preferred birth control pills followed by condoms (51%), injectable
contraceptives (46%), morning after pills (45%), birth control patches (42%),
implants (32%), and (IUDS 18%). Teens, too, prefer short-term contraceptives,
but these come with higher pregnancy rates and lower adherence according to
ACOG.
Most
teenage pregnancies are caused by nonuse of contraceptives or by their misuse.
“An update to an opinion issued in 2007, the statement points out that an
estimated 42% of adolescents ages 15 to 19 have engaged in sexual intercourse,
“ says Bankhead. He continues by stating that teenagers are responsible for 20%
of unintended pregnancies in the United States.
“More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended,” Bankhead also
states. This percentage is based on the misuse or no use at all of contraceptives. In addition, short -term contraceptives have
a 22% higher rate of pregnancy than long-term contraceptives.
Even
though parents would rather their children use short-term contraceptives, a
higher pregnancy rate accompanies them. Most importantly, teens should use
contraceptives and use them correctly, but they should use long-term
contraceptives to be safer from pregnancy. Teens who use short-term
contraceptives should be fully educated on their usage. Doing so would cut down
on unintended teen pregnancies.
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