Teen Pregnancy

Menstuff® has compiled information on the issue of teen pregnancy. May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention month (see how many babies have been born to mothers under 15 so far this year .)

I'm gonna have a baby!

Snippets

Q: Is 13 years old too young to get pregnant?
A: Go here www.teenwire.com/ask/articles/as_20020117p345.asp

One Million Teen Pregnancies Each Year
Fact Sheet on Adolescents who have Babies
Different Programs Do Help Reduce Teen Pregnancy Rates
How to tell your parents you’re pregnant or you made someone pregnant
I Really Want to Have a Baby!
I Want it Now! or why becoming a parent should never be rushed
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
Newsbytes

Teen Pregnancy Rate Declines in US - 1990 to 2004
Many Teen Boys View Pregnancy as Inevitable
How much it will cost to raise a child
Exposure to Tobacco During Pregnancy Affects Behavior in Newborns
Birth Control: What You Need to Know
When Your Teen Is Having a Baby
Having a Healthy Pregnancy
UK Lags Behind US in Teenage Births
National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Journalism Contest!
Community Initiatives Can Lower Adolescent Pregnancy Rates

One Million Teen Pregnancies Each Year

Although teen pregnancy and birth rates in the U.S. declined significantly during the 1990s, approximately 1 million American teenage girls still get pregnant each year. That is by far the highest rate of teen pregnancies of any industrialized nation -- and eight out of 10 are unplanned, according to NCPTP figures. (See how many babies have been born to mothers under 15 so far this year.)

After rising 23% between 1972 and 1990, pregnancies among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 declined 17% between 1990 and 1996. The teen birth rate dropped by 20% between 1991 and 1999, to approximately 50 births per 1,000 young women.

So is the drop in teen pregnancies due to fewer adolescents having sex or to better contraception use among those who are sexually active?

The answer depends on whom you ask. Groups promoting abstinence until marriage say their message is finally getting through, and statistics do suggest fewer teens are having sex than a decade ago. High-profile celebrities who have gone public with their virginity, such as pop singer Jessica Simpson and NBA star A.C. Green, have helped to give the abstinence movement a certain cachet among the young.

"I go to a private school, and the majority of my peers are abstinent," 18-year-old high school junior Nick Reid tells WebMD. "I don't know if you can say that at most public schools, but that may be a gross generalization." Reid, who lives in Nashville, serves on the NCPTP's youth leadership team.

A report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the nation's largest nonprofit organization studying reproductive health, suggests three-fourths of the recent decline in pregnancies among teens is due to better contraceptive use and only one-fourth is due to abstinence.

"If people are suggesting that abstinence is the primary reason for the decline in pregnancy rates, that is just not accurate," says Cynthia Dailard, senior policy analyst with the institute. "We see politicians, including the president, pushing abstinence-only education and calling for teens to abstain from sex. But research shows that comprehensive methods of sexual education that discuss methods of contraception, while encouraging teenagers to delay sexual activity, are most effective."

Abstinence vs. Contraception

As a presidential candidate, George W. Bush repeatedly expressed his support for abstinence-only school-based programs, saying a top administration priority would be to "elevate abstinence education from an afterthought to an urgent goal." In a speech delivered in July 1999, candidate Bush said, "It seems like to me the contraceptive message sends a contradictory message. It tends to undermine the message of abstinence."

The comments appear to contradict the findings of the nation's top public and private health organizations. A National Institutes of Health report, published in 1997, called sexual abstinence a desirable objective, but added that, "programs must include instruction in safer sex behavior, including condom use." The American Academy of Pediatrics weighed in on the issue in a report published early in 2001, noting that "all adolescents should be counseled about the correct and consistent use of latex condoms to reduce the risk of infection."

And a newly released NCPTP study evaluating sex education programs found that education efforts that discuss contraception use do not hasten the onset of sex, increase the frequency of sex, nor increase the number of sexual partners among teens. Likewise, making condoms and other contraceptives available in schools does not hasten or increase sexual activity, the report concluded.

A survey of parents, conducted last year by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, found that four out of five agreed that information about contraceptives should be included in school-based sex education programs. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy survey found that more than 90% of adults and teens said a strong abstinence message is important, but 69% of adults and 67% of teens said it was also important to teach contraception.

"Only a handful of conservative politicians are pushing the more stringent abstinence education, but they are very powerful," Dailard says. "And parents and teachers aren't willing to be real vocal about this issue."

Sanden calls the debate over abstinence vs. contraceptive use counterproductive and irrelevant, and high school junior Reid agrees.

"The fact is, teens need to choose either abstinence or contraception, and many aren't motivated to make that choice." Sanden says. "Kids who don't think about this ahead of time are the ones who have a huge risk of getting pregnant."

"I think you can get into a war of words with the abstinence vs. contraception debate, and you probably won't go anywhere with that," Reid adds. "Abstinence is the best and most desired method of preventing pregnancy, but it is also not very realistic for many teens."

Opening the Dialogue

So how do parents approach discussions of sex with their children? First, don't hesitate to express your own opinions about what is appropriate behavior, according to recommendations from the NCPTP. Make sure the discussions are age-appropriate, but be prepared to get specific with older children and teens.

Monitoring the magazines they read and the television they watch may be a good way of easing into discussions of sex, Sanders says. She admits that it takes some courage to watch teen-oriented nighttime soap operas like "Dawson's Creek" and "7th Heaven" with your kids. A story line on "Dawson's Creek" this season, for example, had main characters Joey and Pacey having sex, and Joey fearing that she might be pregnant.

"You may be cringing the whole time you are sitting there watching, but later on it is going to pay off," she says. "Instead of throwing up your hands and ranting about how the media is such a terrible influence, you could use the situation to talk about the consequences of sex."

Teens, Reid says, need to feel they can talk to their parents about sex.

"I think parents are pretty uncomfortable talking about sex, but it is important and they need to address it," he says. "Kids do respect their parents' opinions, but the parents don't really know that. They don't think they have an influence, but they actually do."
Source: my.webmd.com/printing/article/1687.50985

Fact Sheet on Adolescents who have Babies

Fifty percent of adolescents who have a baby become pregnant again within two years of the baby's birth.

Twenty-five percent of adolescents who have one baby have a second baby within two years of the first baby's birth.

In 1996, 22 percent of all births to 15-19 year old young women in the US were repeat births, i.e. a second birth or higher.

The second baby born to an adolescent mother is at higher risk than the first baby to be low birth weight.

Adolescent mothers who return to school after the first birth are less likely to have a repeat birth in the first year after the first birth.

The children of adolescent mothers are at increased risk for being a teen parent themselves.

The children of adolescent mothers are at increased risk for dropping out of school as adolescents.

The children of adolescent mothers who continue to have close ties with their fathers while they are growing up have better outcomes in education and employment as adults.
Source: Marianne E. Felice, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts, Board of Directors, Campaign For Our Children, www.cfoc.org/4_parent/4_facts.cfm?Fact_ID=124&FactCat_ID=12

Different Programs Do Help Reduce Teen Pregnancy Rates

Programs designed to address teen sexuality, and several that do not address sex at all, have played a major role in reducing teen pregnancy rates over the past decade, a newly released study suggests. But it is not yet clear whether the abstinence-only programs favored by the Bush administration are effective.

Research from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, or NCPTP, found that sex education programs discussing and/or providing contraception did not hasten the onset of sex, increase the frequency of sex, or increase the number of sexual partners teens had.

"We now know that several different types of programs actually do reduce sexual risk-taking behavior, either by delaying sex or increasing condom and contraceptive use," study author Douglas Kirby, PhD, tells WebMD. "This research shows that a variety of different programs are effective. This is important because it means organizations and communities can pursue different approaches and still have an impact upon teen pregnancies."

Kirby reviewed research on a wide range of programs aimed at children and teens, including school-based sexuality and abstinence programs, those associated with contraceptive and family planning clinics, those focusing on voluntary community service, and those combining education, healthcare, community involvement, and recreation.

According to Kirby, there have not been enough good studies to determine whether abstinence-only education is effective in reducing teen pregnancies. A large, federally funded study addressing the question is now under way, but findings aren't expected for several years.

"We don't know whether abstinence-only programs work. They might or they might not," Kirby says. "But the evidence is overwhelming that talking about condoms and contraception, while emphasizing abstinence, does not increase sexual activity among young people."

Approximately 1 million teenage girls get pregnant in the United States each year, by far the highest rate of teen pregnancies of any industrialized nation, and eight out of 10 are unplanned, according to NCPTP figures. After rising 23% between 1972 and 1990, pregnancies among girls between the ages of 15 and 19 declined 17% between 1990 and 1996. The teen birth rate dropped by 20% between 1991 and 1999, to approximately 50 births per 1,000 young women.

The report, released today, highlighted several types of programs that are effective in delaying the onset of sex among teens, improving contraceptive use, and preventing pregnancy. Several programs focusing on sex and HIV education, with strong condom and contraception components, were found to successfully do all three.

Some programs that do not address sex at all, but instead get teens involved in volunteer work within the community, were found to have a significant impact on teen pregnancy.

"To be honest, we don't know why these programs are effective in reducing teen pregnancy," Kirby says. "It may be that they keep kids busy, or they may increase self esteem and cause kids to think about the future. For some very high-risk youth, participation in these programs may represent one of the first times that they are recognized by adults and the community for doing good, and that, in turn, makes them feel good about themselves."

The NCPTP report suggests that comprehensive programs incorporating a host of services for teens and preteens may be the most successful in reducing pregnancies over the long-term among high-risk adolescents. Among the best of these programs, the report found, is the Children's Aid Society Carrera program in New York.

Founded in 1985 in central Harlem by Michael A. Carrera, PhD, the program is now the model for 50 similar programs operating in 20 states. In addition to counseling and medical services, kids receive general education, sex education, and help finding after-school jobs. They are also given the opportunity to participate in sports and the performing arts.

Although other programs take a comprehensive approach to dealing with at-risk children and adolescents, Carrera says his program is unique because kids are followed closely and treated more like family than program participants.

"When a kid enters our program at 11, 12, or 13, we generally work with them until they graduate from high school," Carrera tells WebMD. "We see these kids almost every day, 12 months a year. And if they don't show up, we go and find them. There is a person on staff whose sole job is to track kids once they are in the program."

Program officials also released their own report Wednesday, outlining the findings from a three-year evaluation of six New York City sites and six sites in other urban areas. There were one-third fewer pregnancies and births among the 941 program participants than among a control group. Young girls in the program were also found to be able to avoid coercive sexual situations better than those who did not participate in the program.

"That is a stunning outcome, because it can easily impact a young woman's sexuality for the rest of her life," Carrera says. "If you can help a young woman withstand coercive sexual pressure, you may be influencing how she deals with sexual pressure from then on."

The Carrera program, while effective, is also expensive -- about $4,000 per year per child. It is funded entirely through private contributions, with the largest grants coming from the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City and Michigan's Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

"The federal government has basically stayed away from programs that provide reproductive healthcare services that include contraception," Carrera says. "I would urge them to take a very careful look at this study and what we do. Without equivocation it indicates that we do know how to prevent teen pregnancy, and the government needs to have the will to enact it."
Source: Salynn Boyles, my.webmd.com/printing/article/1728.80597

Teen Pregnancy Rate Declines in US - 1990 to 2004

Fewer U.S. teens got pregnant in 2004 but more women in their 20s had out-of-wedlock pregnancies, according to new federal statistics released on Monday.

The latest look at U.S. pregnancy trends also shows more women are keeping their babies even if they are not married, with the exception of black women.

While 45 percent of all pregnancies are among women who are not married, the typical "unwed mother" is no longer a teenager but in fact an older woman, said Stephanie Ventura of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

"More of them are likely to have the baby rather than having an abortion compared to 1990," Ventura, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.

The report found that nearly 38 percent of pregnancies in 2004 were to women under the age of 25, which is down from nearly 43 percent in 1990.

Just 12 percent of all pregnancies were to teenagers, compared to 15 percent in 1990.

Overall, there were almost 6.4 million pregnancies in 2004 among U.S. women of all ages, down 6 percent from 1990.

Out of these pregnancies, 4.11 million babies were born. There were 1.22 million abortions and 1.06 million stillbirths and miscarriages. That means 64 percent of all pregnancies resulted in a live birth.

In 2006, 4.3 million live babies were born but data is not yet complete on abortions.

Ventura said it takes years to gather this kind of data.

Better Contraception

She said other studies have shed light on why pregnancy rates are going down among teens.

"There have been some changes in behavioral and contraceptive use among teenagers who are sexually active," Ventura said.

The report said pregnancy rates fell the most among sexually experienced teens, suggesting that better use of contraception may be responsible.

"There is some evidence that contraceptive use (for example, at first intercourse and at most recent intercourse) was increasing among teenagers through 2002," they wrote.

Meanwhile, more women are delaying childbearing.

"Among older women, birth rates have been going up -- that's something we have been watching for 20 to 30 years," Ventura said.

According to the study, 77 percent of births to unmarried women in 2006 were to women 20 and older.

"I guess maybe it is changes in attitude and a willingness

to have children when you are not married and that kind of thing," Ventura said.

About 3.5 million pregnancies were among married women and 2.98 million were to unmarried women.

"There are large racial disparities in most of these measures," Ventura said.

About two-thirds of white and Hispanic women who got pregnant ended up having their babies while 48 percent of black women did. Thirty seven percent of pregnancies to black women were aborted.

There are two possible reasons for this, the report found.

"First, non-Hispanic black women were less likely to use a contraceptive method at first intercourse and currently than white women," the researchers wrote.

Second, blacks had double the rate of "contraceptive failure" compared to whites.
Source: Maggie Fox, news.aol.com/health/story/ar/_a/teen-pregnancy-rate-declines-in-us/20080415102209990001

I Want it Now! or why becoming a parent should never be rushed

The majority of adolescent pregnancies are unplanned. But a good many teen pregnancies -- a general estimate is usually about one in five -- are intended or planned. One reason that sex education likely hasn't reduced teen pregnancy rates as much as it might is that some teens know full well what birth control is and how and when to use it, but choose not to, sometimes because they -- maybe you -- want to become pregnant.

In many cases, young women want to become pregnant for the same or similar reasons older women want to become pregnant (excerpted and adapted from the forthcoming Scarleteen book by Heather Corinna)

Snippets:

The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate of all developed countries.
About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year; 95% of those pregnancies are unintended, and almost one third end in abortions.
Public costs from teenage childbearing totaled $120 billion from 1985–1990; $48 billion could have been saved if each birth had been postponed until the mother was at least 20 years old.
Birth rates during 1991–1996 declined for teenagers in all racial and ethnic groups.
Birth rates among teenagers vary substantially from state to state; some states have rates almost three times higher than those of the states with the lowest rates.
13 community partnerships in 11 states are implementing comprehensive, integrated youth programs to prevent teenage pregnancies and related problems.
8 nongovernmental organizations are supported to assist states to develop and implement strategies to prevent pregnancy among teenagers.

Sources: www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/teen.htm

Newsbytes

Many Teen Boys View Pregnancy as Inevitable

More than half of sexually active teenage boys don't plan on getting someone pregnant but believe it's likely to happen anyway.
Source: my.webmd.com/content/article/111/109956.htm

Birth Control: What You Need to Know

Before you consider having sex, you need to know how to protect yourself. Read this article for teens about birth control and find out just how effective some methods are - and others aren't.
Source: www.kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/contraception/contraception.html

Having a Healthy Pregnancy

If you're a pregnant teen, you're not alone - in fact, about half a million adolescents give birth each year. The most important thing you can do is to take good care of yourself so that you and your baby will be healthy and safe.
Source: www.kidshealth.org/teen/sexual_health/girls/pregnancy.html

UK Lags Behind US in Teenage Births

The UK's embarrassment over sex helps explain the failure to control the high level of births among teenagers, according to a United Nations report which says the US is the only developed nation with a higher proportion of teenage mothers than the UK. Both are failing to prepare young people for the world they are growing up in, with its increasing number of sexual images in the media.
Source: The Guardian

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Journalism Contest!

Students, enter now! The New York Times, Learning Network and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy announce the launch of a new contest that calls on students to write news articles, feature stories, and editorials about teen pregnancy.
Source: www.teenwire.com/warehous/articles/wh_20020410p139.asp

Community Initiatives Can Lower Adolescent Pregnancy Rates

Community-wide initiatives, including sex education in 7th and 8th grade, can reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy, according to the results of a study published in the April issue of Health Education and Behavior.
Source: www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8799/22002/347893.html

How to tell your parents you’re pregnant or you made someone pregnant

Telling your parents you are pregnant is one of the hardest things you will do. You may feel scared, ashamed, embarrassed, nervous, anxious, or depressed.

1. Stay calm

2. Write a letter if you need to

3. Make a plan beforehand

4. If you plan to continue the pregnancy, be specific about the future. Explain how you’ll finish school, provide for the baby, etc.

5. Bring a supportive friend or relative along

6. Tell them first--don’t let them hear it somewhere else

7. If they freak out, leave for a bit and come back later. Hopefully they will have calmed down a little.

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