Avoid a Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is a rather frightening reality that can change your life in an instant. The good news is that teenage pregnancy is avoidable: By not having sex, you never risk getting pregnant. If you do decide to have sex, it's best to stay informed about what you can do to avoid unwanted pregnancy. This guide will help inform you.

Steps

  1. Don't give in to peer pressure. Many teenagers can feel left out/behind when their friends start to have boyfriends, or start having sex. Those who have started to do these things early can often talk about it enough to make others feel left out. However, if you do stand your ground and wait until you know you are ready, you will be glad of it. It means you'll have waited for the right person and the right time.
    • Everyone develops at different rates, both physically and mentally, so don't feel that you should be racing your peers for things like having sex and getting boyfriends.
    • Many of your peers will regret their choices in time. Others could even be lying. Don't just start having sex because other people are if you aren't ready to do it yourself.
  2. Learn to say "No". This includes saying no to anything you feel uncomfortable with. Whether it's refusing to have a boyfriend, have any kind of physical contact, have sex or have sex without protection, there is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. The only 100% safe way to avoid pregnancy is to not have sex, so you shouldn't feel stupid for not wanting to go through with something.
  3. Know what will and won't result in pregnancy. With sex in general, there are a lot of myths about what will get you pregnant and what will keep you from getting pregnant. A lot of these myths are simple misinformation, and some of them are lies designed to deceive you. Arm yourself with the facts and lower your chances of pregnancy the safe, smart way.
    • Unprotected vaginal sex has the highest likelihood of resulting in pregnancy. Male sperm fertilizes the female egg, resulting in the growth of a fetus. Unprotected sex also carries a high risk of disease and infection.
    • Pulling out carries some risk of pregnancy. Studies show that typical use of withdrawal has a 18% chance of resulting in pregnancy.[1] This is because some sperm may be released in the male's pre-seminal fluid, or simply because the male doesn't pull out quickly enough.
    • Unprotected anal sex by itself cannot result in unwanted pregnancy.[2] But because the anus and the vagina are extremely close to each other, there is a chance that sperm could accidentally leak into the vagina, causing pregnancy. Unprotected anal sex carries with it an increased likelihood of STIs, especially HIV/AIDS.
    • Oral sex cannot result in pregnancy. As long as the penis does not come in contact with the vagina, there is no possibility that oral sex can lead to unwanted pregnancy.[3] The likelihood of transmitting some STIs, however, is increased with oral sex.
  4. Understand the effectiveness of different forms of birth control. All birth controls are not created equal. Some work better than others, and some are preferred by different individuals for different reasons. It helps to know a little about what each form of birth control is, and how effective they are.
    • Wearing a condom fails about 17% of the time[1], mostly because of improper usage, and in rare cases, because of manufacturing error. If worn correctly however, condoms work more effectively than pulling out.
    • Consider a birth control shot. Depo-Provera only costs twenty dollars a month.
    • The pill and the patch, which avoid pregnancy by preventing the female's ovulation cycle,[4] have about an 8% chance of causing pregnancy with typical use.[1] With proper usage, however, the pill has a 99% success rate in preventing unwanted pregnancy.[5]
    • Intrauterine Devices, or IUDs, fail less than 1% of the time.[1] They fall into either hormonal IUD, or copper IUD, and require no upkeep. Some IUDs can stay in place for 10 years.[6]
  5. Use protection. Remember that many types of sexual intercourse can cause pregnancy. The best thing to do would be to talk about contraception choices with your partner before having sex, as there are many choices such as the birth control pill, condoms and spermicide.
    • If you aren’t comfortable enough with your partner to talk to him or her about protection, you aren't ready to have sex with them. Make sure that you are fully educated about the effectiveness of all of the different types of birth control before making a decision.
    • If you are in doubt about your best options, visit your doctor. They aren't allowed to tell anyone about what you spoke about, and will give you good advice. Don't be embarrassed; they will have dealt with things like this many times before.
  6. Make sure you know how to put on a condom. If you’re a girl, don’t leave it up to the guy to put it on, as he may object or try talking you out of it. Play it cool: If he says, “I don’t want to put a condom on,” just grin and respond with, “No worries – I’ll put it on for you!” Arm yourself with the knowledge of how to put one on properly and refuse to take no for an answer. And remember, if the guy you’re about to have sex with can’t be bothered to protect his and your health, get out of there and consider yourself lucky for dodging a bullet.
    • If you are worried about being caught unprepared then the best thing to do would be to go on the birth-control pill and/or to always have a condom in your bag.
    • Bear in mind that condoms are the only way to effectively protect yourself against STIs, or sexually transmitted infections. Do not let yourself be persuaded into having unprotected sex!
    • Condoms are often given away for free at places such as schools, colleges and family planning clinics. In many countries, birth control such as the pill or the injection are also available for free.
  7. Make sure you know which types of contraception don't consistently work. When you're young it can be confusing to hear about all of the different types of birth control, and all of the rumors that come with it. Therefore it can be confusing to work out which ones are actually effective. So here are some of the methods you should avoid. These things do decrease the possibility of pregnancy slightly, but are not effective contraceptive techniques on their own:
    • Natural family planning. This is when you use your menstrual cycle, or temperature to help predict when you are ovulating and when you are least fertile. It requires commitment and is only effective if used correctly and tracked over time. It's especially ineffective during your teenage years since teenage cycles can be erratic and therefore difficult to predict.
    • The withdrawal method. This is where the man has to 'pull out' before ejaculation. This is extremely unreliable since pre-ejaculation can leak out before he actually climaxes, which can then lead to pregnancy. As well as this is you'd have to trust him to control himself.
  8. Don't leave anything to chance. If you have had sex and either you didn't use protection or your protection wasn't effective (e.g. condom split) then don't leave it to chance. Get hold of the Plan B contraceptive/morning after pill, which can prevent a possible pregnancy within 3 days of sexual intercourse (although the sooner you have it, the more effective it will be).
    • The morning after pill should not be used as a birth-control method, but as an emergency aid. It's not healthy to consistently use.
    • Emergency contraception causes a short but strong burst of hormonal changes that prevent ovulation. It will not cause an abortion.[7]
  9. Know what to do if a pregnancy occurs. If you think that there is a chance that you or your partner might be pregnant, you get a pregnancy test as soon as possible. These can be done for free at some pharmacists or by your doctor. It's important to find out as soon as possible if you are pregnant because it leaves more options for what to do about it.
    • The only thing you'd be able to do to avoid a teenage pregnancy if you were pregnant is to abort the baby.
    • However, it's important to be aware of other options available to you such as getting the baby adopted, or choosing to keep and raise the baby yourself.


Tips

  • To cope with your natural urges, masturbate. Though this is treated as a given for guys, few girls are encouraged to do so – often because they’re told that it’s gross other that girls don’t do it. It isn’t and they do. Having fun with masturbation will not only help you satisfy your libido, but will also teach you about your own body and sexuality, making sex far better when you do have it.
  • Include your partner in your decisions. By making them aware of your concerns they are much more likely to be cooperative with you.
  • There are ways to express affection for each other, and to be satisfied with each other, without having sex. See How to Get More Intimate Without Having Sex for ideas.
  • The only way to be 100% safe from an unwanted pregnancy is to practice abstinence (having no sex at all), although this can be difficult in long term relationships.
  • If you think you are uneducated about sex and contraception, then either find online resources (e.g. those available on health websites such as the NHS) or, if you have a good relationship with them, ask them to inform you.
  • And remember not to blame yourself if you think you have done something wrong according to your religion or family pressure, as long as you are considered and have understanding with your partner you can get over it-just be cautious and honest with yourself. If it is too late, please ask help from someone you trust and someone who might have experience (preferably a woman with kids, a midwife or a gynecologist, a family therapist) to help you for medical and psychological consult.
  • If you are a religious person (or a believer in any particular faith abstain you from sex before marriage) having sex before marriage might be considered as a form of sin. Therefore it is recommended to read about intercourse and other types of sex, check and get referral from religious books and openly ask help from health workers.

Warnings

  • While the contraceptives (birth control) listed are generally very effective, none of them are 100% effective in preventing pregnancy. It's important to learn how to properly use them.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/health/21cond.html
  2. ↑ http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/pregnancyfaqmyths.html
  3. ↑ http://kidshealth.org/teen/expert/birth_control/pregancy_risk.html
  4. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/birth-control-pill/WO00098
  5. ↑ http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/05/17/how_could_she_get_pregnant_while_on_birth_control_pills/
  6. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/intrauterine-device-iud-for-birth-control
  7. ↑ YoungWomensHealth.org on emergency contraception
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