Eubanks, Kelsea: Teens and Contraception

With the many forms of birth control that are available to teens, there are multiple opinions and questions that accompany their use. The issue today isn’t whether or not adolescents should be offered contraception but which one is more effective and preferred.

                  In the first article by Milly Dawson, she mainly focuses on parents’ view of birth control methods and their acceptance of each. For the majority of parents, birth control pills and condoms are more widely accepted compared to others such as IUDs, implants, and patches. Their reasoning isn’t as accurate as they think it is. They believe that by using birth control pills and condoms (short-acting contraceptive methods), their teens aren’t in a long term sexual relationship. The author is trying to convey to parents that although condoms and birth control pills might seem like a better way to go since they are not long acting, they actually might not be the best choice in the long run. A condom could break or their child could forget to take the pill, resulting in pregnancy or STD. Other birth control methods can be more effective, such as IUDs, which is what the author of the second article discusses.

                  The second article by Charles Bankhead is aimed mostly towards IUDs, also known as intrauterine devices and implants. Using this method of birth control causes parents to be uncomfortable because it is a long acting.  According to the ACOG, this is the most effective way of protection. Bankhead’s goal is to convey that although most teens prefer condoms and birth control pills, long term methods such as IUDs are the best way to go if they are going to be sexually active at all. Using these long acting methods could help decrease the percentage of unplanned pregnancies of adolescents.

Even though the best way to avoid pregnancy and STDs is abstinence, most teens are sexually active. The main purpose of both of the articles is to teach parents and adolescents the importance of contraception and which methods would be more effective.

Ogletree, Jeremy: Teens and Contraception

                  In our modern world children are maturing more quickly in terms of sexual activity than ever before. Studies show that approximately “42 percent of adolescents ages 15 to 19 have engaged in sexual intercourse.” Through such sexual activity, complications can arise. Teenagers are more prone to unwanted pregnancies as well as at risk of sexually transmitted diseases and infections.

There are a number of proven ways to prevent both STD/STI’s as well as pregnancies. The most frequently used birth control methods are short term methods such as condoms, withdrawal, and birth control pills. Although most teens prefer and trust these methods, they are not the most effective methods of contraceptive. Long term methods such as intrauterine devices or implants are much more effective than the aforementioned short term methods. Not only teens, but their parents/ guardians also prefer to have their child receive the short term methods from a doctor over the long term methods. This lack of wanting to use long term methods are evidenced by the fact that they constitute less than “5% of use” of contraceptives in teens. This puts adolescents at a greater risk of unwanted pregnancy should the less effective methods fail, as they are proven to do at a higher rate than the long term methods.

Some teens and parents may not support the use of IUD’s and implants because they believe them to be irreversible. That is false. They are reversible and the effects last, at the most, a meager twelve months from the removal of the contraceptive. However, one reason the IUD is not used as much as other methods is that it was banned in the aftermath of the complications that arose from the use of the Dalkon Shield IUD. Difficulties with Dalkon Shield led to infertility in some women as well as severe Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

Herren, Kyle: Teens and Contraception

                  In the debate between a short term contraceptive and a long term contraceptive both of the articles support the long term contraceptive. The use of implants or intrauterine devices is a more effective way to prevent teen pregnancy and unwanted pregnancy. The problem occurs when the doctor suggests the use of intrauterine devices and the families do not believe that their daughter needs these. When they refuse, their child’s chances of getting pregnant increase dramatically. The combination of these two contraceptives offers the best protection against pregnancy. The numbers show that 42% of teens between the ages of 15 to 19 are using a type of contraceptive. Unfortunately, they are not using the best and most preventive forms of contraceptives. Most are just using condoms alone. The best combination of contraceptives is birth control pills or an intrauterine device and a condom. When used together, they reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy to virtually nothing. When a teenager gets pregnant, in 80% of cases the pregnancy is unintended. Teens are very inconsistent in their use of contraceptives. Teens tend to pick and choose when they use protection. If teens were more consistent in their use of contraceptives, the percent of unintended pregnancy and teen pregnancy would go down significantly. It is up to the parents to allow their kids to take birth control pills or use intrauterine devices to prevent unwanted pregnancies. When the parents acknowledge that their children are sexually active and allow them to take birth control pills in combination with using a condom the chances of the parents becoming grandparents are less likely, especially at the child’s premature age. With these precautions, the lives of parents and children would easier and safer in protection not only from pregnancy but STD’s as well. In conclusion, the articles support the use of contraceptives for not only adults but teens as well.

Students Visit Stennis Space Center

(From L to R) Michelle Beavers, Zachary Pinson, and Hali Pinson pose in front of the NASA Engineering & Test Directorate at the Stennis Space Center.

Three students, all recipients of a NASA Research Infrastructure Grant, began to formalize their research plans by visiting NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. While there they met with operators, testers, engineers, and others. The visit lasted an entire working day and also included visits to several testing towers. Dr. Ramona Travis, chief technologist of the Stennis Space Center, hosted the visit. She and Dr. Kardas planned the visit over the course of the last several months.

Above is the view of Test Tower B from atop of another nearby tower. Most of the test towers at Stennis were first constructed during the 1950s and others are much newer. The Saturn rocket motors were tested at Test Tower B.

While the students did not get a chance to witness an actual test, they saw pictures of previous tests and got a chance to closely examine where the tests take place.

The Stennis Space Center is one of NASA's smallest in terms of personnel, but the second largest (second only to the Kennedy Space Center) in terms of geographical area. The reason the site is so large is because the rocket motor tests are so loud. The towers are all located in the center of the complex so that the noise they create will only minimally disturb the people and cities nearby.

The SAU NASA research project will investigate how female and male undergraduate engineering students feel about their future job prospects given that more female engineers leave the profession after they graduate and begin to work.

Matney, Shelby: Teens and Contraception

            According to the article, “IUDs, Implants Best Teen Birth Control, ACOG Says” 80% of teenage pregnancies are unintended.  Studies show that this is due to less effective methods of birth control such as pills, withdrawal, and condoms.  This article, along with another entitled “Parents Prefer Some, Often Less-Effective, Birth Control Methods for Teens” give facts and information on statistically more effective “long-acting” forms of birth control.

            According to a study found in the Journal of Adolescent Health (“Parents Prefer Some...”), parents are more likely to favor the less effective methods such as birth control pills, condoms, injectable contraceptives, emergency contraception (the morning-after pill), and birth control patches before considering implants and IUDs.  Experts assume that this is due to health concerns coinciding with minimal knowledge.  To this, Cori Baill, M.D. comments that “parents need to understand that the risk of pregnancy outweighs the risk of any contraceptive method…”

            “IUDs, Implants…” share many statistics on the differences between the effects of short-acting and long-acting contraceptive methods.  Short-acting methods have a much high pregnancy rate (22 times higher), and a 12-month continuation rate of 55% compared to 86% for long-acting methods.  Also, while younger women have lower continuation rates for the IUDs, they are still higher than those for short-acting methods.

In the article “IUDs, Implants…”, the ACOG committee acknowledges other barriers preventing more frequent use of long-acting methods: lack of familiarity, misperceptions, high cost, and others.  To this, the committee suggests referrals to public clinics to assist teenagers with more effective contraceptives.  This article expresses that these methods are the best protection against unintended pregnancies as well as STIs. 

             Although long-acting contraceptive methods have proven more safe and appropriate, ACOG research shows that only 4.5% of women between the ages of 15-19 choose them.  Also, long-acting methods have shown to account for less than 5% of use by teens. Statistics and facts having been found, it must now be distributed to the public so as to promote safer contraceptive methods.  Obstetrician-gynecologists hope to make them first-line recommendations for all sexual active women.

Chavez, Jasmin: Teens and Contraception

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.

Nunn, Cheyanne: Teens and Contraception

            According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, contraceptive implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs) afford the best protection against unintended pregnancy among adolescents. While this may be true, less effective methods of birth control are used by all ages. Despite the knowledge of its protection against pregnancy, methods such as condoms, withdrawal and oral contraceptives are more commonly used because they do not require a visit to the doctor and are of little to no cost. However, this causes unintended pregnancies and more costs than an IUD in the long run.

            Alhough intrauterine devices are reversible and are more effective than the birth control pill and other contraceptives, parents actually prefer their daughters to use the less effective products. Studies show that birth control pills are actually the most preferred among adults with daughters at 59% with condoms, injectable contraceptives, the morning-after pill, birth control patches and implants preferred at lower rates. The IUD came in as last preferred at a low of 18%. Researchers surmised that parents may not accept this method as much as others because it is associated with an ongoing sexual relationship. Also, it may yet be linked to the historical events surroundig the Dalkon shield, an earlier IUD, but neither article went in-depth about that subject.

            Pregnancy rates are at less than 1% with perfect and typical use of IUDs. They have the highest rates of satisfaction and continuation of all contraceptive methods, but are still not found to be acceptable among sexually active females and their parents. Public clinics are referred to as a most reasonable option to explore teenagers and other females’ access to long-acting reversible contraceptives and will give the most fair cost, insurance coverage, and confidentiality. Clinics can also provide information, recommendations, and suggestions regarding reversible contraceptives including misperceptions, counseling, and postpartum and post-abortal use of long-acting reversible contraceptives.