Dao, Hai: Teens and Contraception

            We are living in a technological era. Nearly everything we do requires it. But what we still lack is information. In the Health Behavior News Service, Milly Dawson showed the results of the lack of information about contraceptive methods by parents. 

            Milly Dawson shows that nowadays, rates of unintended contraceptive have increased although the methods of contraception have improved more and more and the use of contraceptive has increased. Because teenagers tend not to use condoms consistently during sex, they run the risk of becoming pregnant or being infected by an STD. Imagine that a girl comes to her boyfriend’s room but they do not have any condoms or pills. The boy may promise that they will engage in oral sex, and nothing else. But “nothing else” happens, and then the girl is pregnant. That’s why although more and more contraceptive methods are available, the rates unintended pregnancies are still high. 

            However, their parents can give their children some advice about contraceptives. The influence of parents’ attitudes toward their daughters and sons is very effective. Unfortunately, parents, too, prefer condoms rather than long-acting contraceptive methods and so do doctors. The survey shows that parents accept their daughters' use of birth control pills more than they do long-acting contraceptive methods such as IUDs. Parents do not accept the long-acting methods because of societal attitudes and U.S. historical events around the Dalkon shield. They are worry about how safe such methods are when their daughters use them. 

            However, it is more dangerous when adolescents use short-acting contraceptive methods with their high failure rates. Sometimes, they forget to use them or use them properly. On the other hand, long-term contraceptives work all the time, once installed. Thus, using long-acting contraceptive methods is perfect choice for preventing being pregnant, provided they are used along with condoms in order to prevent STDs.

Mills, Taylor: Teens and Contraception

The articles mentioned that studies and surveys were conducted to show which contraceptive was more accepted by parents and sexually active teenagers. Also, the findings explained which method had more of an effect in controlling unintended pregnancy and sexual diseases. Several reasons were mentioned as to why one method was chosen over the other. In addition, clinicians gave advice on how to overcome concerns towards any method. 

There is a high number of sexually active teenagers. Charles Bankhead wrote, “42% of adolescents...have engaged in sexual intercourse.” Most use contraceptives, but it is the short-term methods that are favored over the long-term. Milly Dawson’s article mentioned that among parents involved in a phone survey about their opinions on the two methods of contraceptives rated birth control pills and condoms the highest. These are considered short-term methods; even teenagers had a similar acceptance towards the two. Dawson’s article goes on to say that when parents take their teenage daughters to health care visits, both are open to doctors giving birth control pills and condoms as the main methods. Lauren Hartman, a clinician, reasoned that parents are accepting of these practices because they are aware that their daughter or son may be sexually active but resist long-term methods because they may imply an ongoing sexual relationship.

Although short-term contraceptives have a higher usage rate, studies found that unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases were still high (Bankhead). These high percentages were found among sexually active teenagers. There are several reasons as to why short-term contraceptives and these unwanted health concerns are linked. However, none of the articles go into detail about the connection. It is an ironic situation but reasons were given as to why short term methods had a higher acceptance over long-term. In the phone survey, implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) had the lowest acceptance rate ( Dawson). However, these are considered the most effective contraceptives. Pregnancy rates were less than 1% when females used a long-acting method (Bankhead). Members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reasoned that parents are misinformed about contraceptives such as IUDs and implants. Also, health costs and risks were considered factors as to why long-term methods were avoided (Bankhead). A board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist connected the concerns of parents with the Dalkon Shield incident. Hartman suggested that clinicians should do research on these methods and share that information with parents and teenagers (Dawson).

Ngongoni, Shamiso: Teens and Contraception

Milly Dawson in her article suggests that parents play a role in what contraceptive method their child will use. Parents who respect their child’s autonomy will be comfortable with their child getting contraceptives from a doctor. Dawson is encouraging the use of long acting contraceptives such as the contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices. She writes that ‘’effective methods are still under used’’ by teenagers. She provides statistics on which contraceptive methods parents were most comfortable with. In a survey, the birth control pills and condoms, which she believes are not effective, had the most acceptance by parents whereas implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) where least accepted.

She assumed that parents may not approve the use of ‘longer acting’ methods because they do not recognize ‘their teens autonomy.’ Parents might associate long acting methods with ongoing sexual relationships.  The other reason maybe that parents remember the Dalkon shield, an IUD which had considerable safety problems. She concludes, however, that the risk of pregnancy outweighs that of any contraceptive method.

The second article is in full support of the use of contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices. They quote the ACOG committee on adolescent health, who wrote, ‘’these contraceptive methods have the highest rates of satisfaction and continuation.’’

The authors write that although adolescents use contraception, they do not use the most effective types. The high numbers of teenage pregnancies show that teens are not using contraception, use contraception inconsistently, and some fail to use the contraceptive correctly. Evidence also shows that women who use long acting methods of contraception are more likely to continue using it for a year vs. those who use short term contraception. The rate of unintended pregnancies is also less in women who use long term contraceptives. 

The article suggests that adolescents should have easier access to long acting contraceptives. It also explains that people may not be using long acting contraceptives because of misperceptions, high cost, a lack of access and health care’s provider concerns about safety. A study showed that without these barriers, most women would choose long acting reversible contraceptives.

The writer suggests however; that these non barrier methods should be used along with condoms to reduce risk of sexually transmitted infections. They also suggest that teenagers should be referred to public clinics. This will reduce cost and they will receive information, recommendations, suggestions and counseling regarding use of long-acting reversible contraceptives.

Shaffer, Arin: Teens and Contraception

            Today there is an increasing abundance of sexual activity in the adolescent years.  However, with this increase in teen sexual activity the chances of unwanted pregnancy increase as well. In order to avoid the unwanted pregnancies adolescents must better learn about the different types of contraceptives. Of all teens who report contraceptive use, “long-acting reversible options account for <5 12-month="12-month" 14="14" 20="20" 55="55" 86="86" a="a" about="about" account="account" all="all" also="also" among="among" are="are" awareness="awareness" barely="barely" because="because" but="but" chose="chose" concern="concern" continuation="continuation" continue="continue" contraception="contraception" contraceptive="contraceptive" contraceptives="contraceptives" determined="determined" don="don" effective="effective" even="even" every="every" for="for" is="is" iuds="iuds" know="know" little="little" long-acting="long-acting" long-term="long-term" methods="methods" most="most" of="of" one="one" out="out" program="program" rates="rates" reason="reason" s="s" short-acting="short-acting" showed="showed" span="span" statistic="statistic" study="study" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" t="t" teenagers="teenagers" teens.="teens." tenth="tenth" that="that" the="the" them.="them." this="this" to="to" use="use" used="used" using="using" versus="versus" women="women">  This fact shows that adolescents who do use the long-lasting methods are more likely to keep using that same method than if they were using short-term methods of contraception.   Lastly, “Unintended pregnancy rates were 22 times higher in women using short-acting forms of contraception. That simply shows that short term contraception is just simply not as effective long-lasting contraception (IUDs). In addition, long-term contraceptives face another challenge in getting recognition, parents.  Many parents are not aware of the benefits of long-term contraceptives and don’t approve of them either.  In a recent phone study IUDs gained only an 18% approval rate from parents (Parents Prefer).  Parents believe that the use of such contraceptives encourages a long sexual relationships or infers that one is already going on.  Another concern that parents have is that long-term contraceptives are similar to the Dalkon shield which had several “considerable safety problems”(Parents Prefer). They contend that even though an IUD may be risky it isn’t as risky as unwanted pregnancy. 

Daniel, Hauwa: Teens and Contraception

Sex education has long been an issue between parents and children. Even though some parents find it very difficult or rather unusual to talk about sex with their children, teenagers will otherwise get information from peer groups and the media. Milly Dawson stresses the importance of the parent-daughter relationship in discussions about sex education and the use of contraceptives, including birth control pills. The second author, Charles Bankhead, also discusses the significance of long-term birth control methods, other contraceptives, and the pregnancy rate in teenagers. Both authors, however, give a one-sided arguments in that and neither talks about abstinence as a birth control method.

Milly Dawson's research finds parents to be more comfortable with the use of condoms and short term birth control pills rather than with a more reliable solution, long-acting reversible contraceptives for their daughters. She sees high rate of pregnancy among adolescents who use short-acting contraceptives and believes parents can encourage the use of long-term solutions. Charles Bankhead, similarly, believes that “implants and intrauterine” provide the best protection from unwanted pregnancy among teens. He also sees the long-acting reversible contraceptives as the best solution to unwanted pregnancy. Bankhead’s statistics show that “42% of adolescents” are sexually active between the “age’s 15-19years,” and he encourages the use of “long-acting reversible methods.”

In conclusion, Milly Dawson and Charles Bankhead believe that the use of long-acting alterable contraceptive is the safest method to prevent unintended pregnancy when used with condoms to prevent STDs. They both believe that women who settle for short-acting contraceptives are in higher risk of getting pregnant compared to those with long-acting reversible contraceptives. However, the two authors present a one-sided argument on the use of long-acting contraceptives as the best form to prevent pregnancy. Neither author promotes abstinence which is the safest and most secure method of prevention. Neither encourages teenagers who want to abstinent but rather gives them the option of having a safe sex which is not healthy at a young age. In addition, exposing teenagers to the use of contraceptives can be very harmful when used excessively, and can lead to permanent barrenness or ovarian problems especially when the use starts at a very tender age.

Chandra Hamal Thakuri, Prajit: Teens and Contraception

Good health is vital to good living and wellbeing. Adolescent health is one of the vital aspects when it comes to community health. Teens face many challenges and are curious regarding sexual maturity. So, it is their parents’ responsibility to help them in their journey toward sexual maturity. 

The article points out that parents are happier when doctors offer their teen daughters birth control pills and condoms rather than more effective and long acting contraceptives. In a phone survey cited in the article parents and caregivers preferred birth control pills the most. Unintended pregnancies are high when non effective contraception is used because teens sometime do not use condoms correctly or take birth control pills regularly. As a result, parents should accept other methods and encourage their children to use them.

Short- acting contraceptive methods are favored by a majority of teenagers. However, these contraceptives have lower adherence and higher pregnancy rates compared with long- acting reversible contraceptives which have the highest effectiveness (less than 1%). More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended and are caused because of the failure of condoms, withdrawal, or misuse of oral contraceptives. With higher rates of satisfaction and no need for daily adherence, long-acting reversible methods are the best recommendations for all women and adolescents.

In conclusion, long-acting contraception is safe, effective, and helps reduce unintended teen pregnancies more than short-acting contraception. In addition, reports have shown that long-acting contraception is better so parents who play a vital role in teen’s life should encourage their children to use them.

Oladji, Jeannette: Teens and Contraception

            In her article, Milly Dawson was trying to convince society that people should focus on long acting contraception, such as IUDs, rather on than short-acting contraceptive methods. Not because those methods are ineffective but because she believes they don’t afford the best protection against unwanted pregnancies as do long-acting contraceptives.

            According to updated clinical opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices afford the best protection against unintended pregnancy among adolescents, and the short-acting contraceptive methods, favored by the vast majority of teenagers who use contraception, have lower adherence and higher pregnancy rates compared with long-acting reversible contraceptives. According to Milly Dawson parents of teens choose short-acting methods for their girls because they believe longer acting methods are very dangerous and can cause infertility, especially IUDs. For parents, their girl's autonomy is very important, which means they are free to choose from short-acting methods and change them whenever they want rather than using long-acting methods

            To all these beliefs Milly Dawson was trying to let parents know that the risk of pregnancy is more dangerous than the risk of using any contraceptive method, including the IUD. Her advice is that people should forget about those misperceptions and use long-acting contraceptives including IUDs. All of which are more effective than condoms and birth control pills.  According to Lauren Hartman, a clinical fellow in adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, “Despite increased use of contraceptives by adolescents in the last twenty years, effective methods are still underused and too many sexually active teens do not use condoms." What she was trying to say is that even though that’s the parents' choice, those teens fail to use the methods chosen by the parents and that causes the high rate of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Her advice is that parents can help improve contraceptive use among teens, especially the IUDs which she believes are the best and long-acting contraceptive methods.