Nov
24
Posted by Admin
No teenage girl wants to have to tell her parents that she is pregnant and no parent of a teenage girl wants to hear that news. Still, if you are a pregnant teenager, it is important to tell your parents and allow them to help you through the experience. This article offers some ideas about how to tell your parents that you are pregnant.
Why Tell?
If you are pregnant, you have three basic choices. You can give birth to the baby and keep it. You can give birth to the baby and give it up for adoption. Or you can have an abortion. If you’ve chosen one of the first two options, your parents definitely need to know—your changing body will make it easy for them to guess anyway. If you tell them yourself, rather than waiting for them to notice it, you will have much more control over where the conversation takes place and how it goes.
If you choose the third option, abortion, you may be able to keep your parents in the dark. However, some states have parental notification or consent laws. Even if your state doesn’t, you should tell your parents that you have been through something so important and potentially life-altering.
The only reason not to tell your parents is if they have a history of abuse and you fear for your safety. If this is the case, contact a women’s clinic or hospital and make an appointment to see their social worker.
Preparation
Before you talk to your parents, double check the results of the pregnancy test. Some of the early-detection tests are not very accurate and may give false positive readings.
If you are sure you are pregnant, take a day or two to think through your options.
Plan what you are going to say to your parents. Do you want to talk to them together or would you rather tell one of them before the other?
Find a time to speak to your parent or parents in private, when they have some time to talk and are not rushing off to work or another commitment. If it is hard to catch them in a free moment, ask them to schedule some time to talk to you about something serious.
Tempting as it may be to tell your parents in a public place, like a restaurant, avoid this impulse. Tempers run high at such a moment, voices may get raised, and you don’t want a bunch of strangers witnessing a big fight between you and your parents.
Most parents of pregnant teens try to be supportive, but just in case the talk goes badly and they throw you out of the house, or you feel unsafe and want to leave, it’s a good idea to have a Plan B. Could you stay with your baby’s father or with one of your girlfriends for a couple of days? Is there another relative who might take you in?
The Talk
There is no way you can cushion your parents from the natural shock and grief they will feel when you tell them you’re pregnant. There’s no gentle lead in, no way to make a joke of it, and it’s cruel to make them guess. The mature thing to do, once you have your parents alone in a private place is to simply say, “Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant.”
Be prepared for an intense emotional reaction, such as crying or yelling. Be prepared, too, to answer questions about who the father is, how the pregnancy happened (for instance, were you not using birth control or did your birth control fail), and what you plan to do now.
Some parents may take over and start making plans for you. Although this may feel very comforting at the time, make sure your voice is also heard, especially if you and your parents have different ideas about how the pregnancy should be handled.
There is no “typical” reaction to hearing the news that one’s daughter is pregnant. Some parents are immediately reassuring, others may be angry, still others will try to ignore (deny) the news.
If your parents have an extreme reaction, give them a few days to pull it together. Then approach them again. Hopefully they will be calmer and more able to give you the support you need once the idea has sunk in.
Having to tell your parents that you are pregnant is one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to do. But if you can be direct and honest with them, they may turn into a valuable source of support and comfort.
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Nov
16
Posted by Admin
What Is It?
Emergency contraception is a way to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Often called the morning-after pill, emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) are hormone pills that can be taken up to 72 hours after having unprotected sex.
Most states require a doctor to prescribe emergency contraception; however, recently some states have allowed nonphysicians to provide ECPs. Either way it is important to seek medical help and guidance.
Emergency contraception is most effective when it is taken as soon as possible after intercourse. But some studies have shown that it can still work up to 120 hours after intercourse.
The intrauterine device (IUD) can sometimes be used as a form of emergency contraception. This is rarely prescribed for teens, though.
How Does It Work?
In high doses, the hormones estrogen and progesterone can prevent pregnancy. The number of pills taken depends on the type of pill being used. The first dose of pills should be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse followed by a second dose of pills 12 hours later.
The hormones may work in a number of ways to prevent pregnancy. They may delay ovulation (the release of an egg during a girl's monthly cycle), affect the movement and function of the sperm, affect the development of the uterine lining, and disrupt the actual fertilization process.
ECPs are less effective if fertilization has already occurred. If implantation has already occurred and a girl is pregnant, ECPs will not interrupt the pregnancy.
How Well Does It Work?
About 1 or 2 in every 100 women who use ECPs will become pregnant despite taking ECPs within 72 hours after having unprotected sex. The effectiveness of emergency contraception methods is calculated differently from the effectiveness of other contraceptives because of how they are used. Emergency contraception is the only type of contraception method that is used after unprotected sex.
Emergency contraception is most effective when taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. Because of this, the name morning-after pill is somewhat misleading: Ideally the pill should be taken immediately after sex, without waiting for the next morning.
Emergency contraception will not prevent pregnancy if a girl has unprotected sex after taking the ECPs.
Because emergency contraception does not prevent all pregnancies, a woman should see her doctor if she doesn't get her next expected period after taking it.
Protection Against STDs
Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Couples having sex must always use condoms to protect against STDs even when using another method of birth control.
Abstinence (not having sex) is the only method that always prevents pregnancy and STDs. If a girl has been forced to have unwanted sex, she should see a doctor right away to be tested for STDs. That's because it's important to treat some STDs immediately before they develop into bigger problems.
Possible Side Effects
The larger-than-normal dose of hormone causes some side effects in many of the women receiving emergency contraception pills. These side effects include nausea, vomiting, breast tenderness, and headache. Such side effects are usually minor, and most improve within 1 to 2 days. A girl's menstrual period may be temporarily irregular after taking ECPs.
Who Uses It?
Emergency contraception is not recommended as a regular birth control method. Instead, it is used for emergencies only. If a couple is having sex and the condom breaks or slips off, if a diaphragm or cervical cap slips out of place, or if a girl forgot to take her birth control pills for 2 days in a row, a girl may want to consider using emergency contraception. It is also available to teens who are forced to have unprotected sex.
Emergency contraception is not recommended for girls who know they are pregnant.
How Do You Get It?
In most cases, a doctor must prescribe ECPs. Many health clinics also provide them. You must go as soon as possible after having unprotected sex. The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals keeps a list of providers who prescribe emergency contraception. You can find the name of someone in your area by calling their hotline at (888) NOT 2 LATE.
How Much Does It Cost?
Depending on the types of pills that are prescribed, the emergency contraceptive pill costs between $8 and $35. Many health insurance plans cover the cost of emergency contraception and family planning clinics (such as Planned Parenthood) may charge much less.
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