Teen Pregnancy

For generations, teen pregnancy has always been a controversial issue. Many people have argued over the quality of sex education in schools, and fear that many of these pregnancies are happening because sex programs are not informing teenagers enough. Fortunately, since the early 1990's teen pregnancy has dropped steadily. However, thousands of young women are still getting pregnant before the age of 20. Here is what you can do to prevent this from happening.

If you have a child, it is necessary to teach them at an early age about sex and the risk of pregnancy. Especially when the child hits puberty, it is important to discuss with them about how and what they feel about the topic. However, in all probability, by this age they have already learned a great amount by themselves. The media is constantly pushing it in our faces, and it is hard to get away from movies that portray sex as the cool thing to do. Magazines also flood a young adult's brains with sex appeal. However, what many of these sources neglect and ignore to mention is the idea of safe sex. Most television shows only show the act itself and therefore it leaves children with the wrong idea about sex. On the other hand, many sex education classes only teach abstinence, and therefore leave the child confused if they do indeed have sex. Although it does sound like an awkward and uncomfortable situation, it is very important to give your child the right knowledge. This way, when they are in a particular situation, they will have the tools and the information to act in a responsible manner.

Even if you believe in abstinence, it is necessary to give your child all of the information available. Therefore, it is important to tell your child about contraception. The most popular forms of safe sex are the use of condoms and the birth control pill. Condoms are usually made of rubber latex and they cover the entire penis. This prevents any semen from entering the vagina. It also protects both parties from sexually transmitted diseases. No matter how active or inactive your child is, it is crucial for them to have this knowledge about safe sex. You may not be happy with their decision, but at least it keeps them safe from both pregnancy and STDs.

The second form of safe sex is the birth control pill or patch. Although this pill does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, it does make the chances of pregnancy very slim. However, it is still possible to get pregnant while on the pill. This often happens if women do not take the medication at the same time everyday or forget to take the pill on occasion. This pill needs to be taken everyday at the same time, except for the last week of the month. It stops your body from ovulating, and this happens due to the release of extra hormones. Therefore, no egg is released so that the sperm will have nothing to fertilize.

It is very important to talk to your child about the issues they will face in years to come. If you give them an abundance of information, they will no longer worry about making the wrong decisions. Although your child will ultimately decide what they want to do, they will have you to thank for not being embarrassed to tell them the truth about such a serious activity.

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