Information and Facts on Teen Pregnancy
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Information and Facts on Teen Pregnancy

Despite wider availability of birth control even without parental consent, teen pregnancy rates are still on the rise in the United States, according to MedlinePlus and the March of Dimes. Avoiding sex is the best way to prevent teen pregnancy, but the reality is that more teens are engaging in sexual activity before they are ready to raise children. By learning basic facts about teen pregnancy and birth control, you can help your daughter make the healthiest choices no matter what her decision is regarding premarital sex.

Prevention

If your daughter is not willing to abstain from sex until she is older, then ensure she gets birth control pills, a birth control shot or uses condoms, according to TeensHealth. However, no form of birth control is foolproof; only condoms will protect her against sexually transmitted diseases.

Misconceptions

If your daughter takes the birth control pill to regulate her periods, she is not more likely to engage in premarital sex, according to TeensHealth. A growing number of teenage girls take the birth control pill to manage painful menstrual periods and related conditions and choose not to have sex until they are truly ready for it.

Significance

Pregnant teenagers and their babies have much greater health risks than older women, according to MedlinePlus and the March of Dimes. Teenage girls are much less likely to get adequate prenatal care, especially if they keep their pregnancies secret for some time. Also, developing girls who get pregnant before their bodies are really ready for it are much more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and go into premature labor; this leads to some babies of teenage moms having developmental problems due to low birth weight.

Incidence

More than 10 percent of all births in the United States during 2007 were to moms under the age of 20, according to the March of Dimes. Out of that number, about 33 percent of teenage births were from young women under the age of 18. About 30 percent of teenage girls will become pregnant during their adolescent years.

Considerations

Teenage moms are much more likely to smoke during pregnancy, according to the March of Dimes. If you know your daughter is pregnant or suspect she might be pregnant, try your best to encourage her not to smoke during pregnancy; smoking can create a number of problems for her and the unborn baby. Also, make sure your daughter takes prenatal vitamins and eats plenty of green vegetables containing folic acid.

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