Safe And Effective Birth Controls

Reducing the risk of fetal mortality, infant mortality, and stillbirth, is the goal of Healthy People 2020. Recommending the following to have a healthy pregnancy such as having a healthy weight, not to use illegal drugs, getting vaccinated, taking prenatal and or during pregnancy vitamins, managing any chronic conditions prior of having a baby, having recommended screening test and controlling diabetes.

This day in age, teenage pregnancy is becoming a regular thing for the post-millennials. “In 2014, a total of 249,078 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years (CDC)”, although this was a low from 2013, it is a large increase from when my parents were a teenager about 10 years ago. This increase in access that we should provide teenage girls would contribute to many vital things such as a decrease teenage pregnancy statistics, and letting them be able to make important/smart decisions regarding their lifestyle. These decisions of whether or not to use birth control if given access to it is a vital decision as it can affect their future. Being able to open up the world of birth control to teenage girls can save them from having children at a young age, if selecting to participate in sexual activities and continue on with that while using a birth control method. There are multiple birth control methods that can help with trying to prevent pregnancy and getting pregnant. These methods include but are not limited to: condoms (most of the time effective but not 100%), which anybody can buy no matter what, prescription birth control pills (the possible safest way if sexually active), staying abstinent, and other varieties of birth controls. An example would be if my friend uses condoms and his girlfriend is on birth control there is a greater chance of not conceiving or

Before examining birth control, it’s important to first dispel the myth that birth control and particularly abortion is only sought by modern, unmarried women who are more promiscuous than women in earlier ages. America was never abstinent. It’s a myth that more teens and young adults have

Since 1960, when the first oral contraceptive was introduced, birth control use has skyrocketed. The additional benefits of lighter, less painful periods, regulation of the menstrual cycle, and reduction of the risk of ovarian cancer make contraceptives appealing to more than those looking to not get pregnant. Many teens avoid getting birth control because they fear their parents will not approve. According to a study done by the center for disease control, or CDC, births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years old have dramatically decreased since 1991(Girma & Paton, 2013). This downward trend can be related to the increase in birth control access to teens (Lipman & Tiedje, 2005). Furthermore, twenty-six percent of high school dropouts cite becoming a parent as the reason for dropping out (Raidoo & Kaneshiro, 2015). By increasing minor access to birth control, the dropout rate could be reduced and the positive benefits of an education could follow. As

Teen pregnancy and the risk of it remains a serious issue for today’s adolescents. In 2015, there were 229,715 babies born to women from the ages of 15 to 19 (Martin). Accidental teen pregnancies could be prevented if more comprehensive sex education was taught at school and birth control was more accessible and affordable for teens. Guttmacher Institute lead a study on the issue of birth control and teens. The results showed that an 8% increase in use of contraceptives related to a 42% drop in pregnant teenagers over the course of seven years (Spadafino). Even though birth control has been proven to lower the risk of unwanted pregnancies, our society still views it as a taboo topic.

Over the years, the rate of adolescent pregnancy in the United States has been declining by nearly 40% since the 1990’s. (Brown, 2016) Adolescent pregnancy rates have decreased across the nation for adolescents belonging to any racial and ethnic group. (Brown, 2016) It seems that adolescents are making smarter decisions considering that there is 77% decline in pregnancy risk. Adolescent pregnancy risk is positively correlated with greater use of condoms by 58% and birth control methods by 39%.

Contraception is a popular, but highly debated topic among most Americans. An article published by the Guttmacher Institute reported, “In 2011, nearly half (45% or 2.8 million) of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the United States each year were unintended.” (“Unintended Pregnancy”). Many women, both in a relationship and single, are searching for contraceptive options. A contraception is, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation.” (Merriam-Webster 494). Oral birth control pills are one of the most popular and effective contraception options but the unavailability of these pills makes this option difficult for many women.

Consuming any amount of alcohol during any time during pregnancy increases an infant’s chance of being born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (“Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders,” 2016). Tobacco use during pregnancy has been shown to cause prematurity, birth defects, and an increased chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (“Tobacco Use and Pregnancy,” 2016). Many medications can be detrimental to pregnancy, and the use of any over the counter or prescription medication should be confirmed safe before taking. Another unfortunate teratogen that fetuses are commonly exposed to are recreational drugs (Potter et al., 2017, p. 141). Smoking marijuana during pregnancy can lead to terminated pregnancy, low birth weight, prematurity, and developmental delays (“American Pregnancy,” 2017). Cocaine and Methamphetamines cause similar effects to marijuana during pregnancy, in addition they may lead to placenta rupture and bleeding during birth. Infants may also be born with withdrawals including sleeplessness, tremors, and trouble feeding. Heroin is another commonly used drug during pregnancy, and commonly leads to premature birth, breathing difficulties, intracranial hemorrhage, low birth weight, and

According to a study done by CNN, as many as one in eight teens within the United States have taken the virginity pledge (Tamkins, 2008). This means that they took the opportunity and are making a written or verbal commitment and promising to refrain from sexual activities until marriage. But officially, the virginity pledge states that “Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate and my future children to be sexually abstinent from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship” (True Love Waits, n.d). True Love Waits is a movement that first began in 1993. Because of this movement, along with The Silver Ring Thing, nearly 2.2 million adolescents had taken the

(1993), every year the number of woman who chooses abortion is about 1.5 million in United States. Almost half of American women get unplanned pregnancy, and 54% of these end in abortion (Finer LB & Zolna MR, 2011). Nearly one fifth of pregnancies end in abortion (Jones RK &

Endersbe, “Almost 500,000 babies are born to teen mothers each year.”(Endersbe,1) but many teen parents do not plan for a child or even consider wanting one. There are more girls getting pregnant now than there was 20 years ago and most schools in the US have a course that can inform them on the precautions in having sex at a young age and that teen pregnancy is something that they can prevent. These courses or programs teach young adults to be safe and hold off on sex. However, schools are enforcing the use of contraceptives if teens do choose to engage in sex. Because Americans encourage safe sex they want to teach young minds to be safe and use protection. With the knowledge that teens developed about safe sex, there are now “78% of teens using contraceptives during sexuual intercourse.” (Endersbe, 6) which is a good

A teratogen is defined as, “any agent that can potentially cause a birth defect or negatively alter cognitive and behavioral outcomes” (Santrock, 2013, p. 82). According to the Baby Center website, cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 teratogens that can affect prenatal development (Woolston, 1997-2014). Cigarettes are the most common nonmedical drug used during pregnancy (Key, et al., 2007, p. 623). A fetus is dependent on its mother for all of its nutrients needed to grow properly. When the mother chooses to smoke cigarettes, the fetus is starved of both oxygen and nutrients. Several studies have been done showing that this effect on prenatal development can have consequences extending beyond the womb.

Despite the extensive adverse publicity, the usage of tobacco continues in approximately 25% of all pregnancies in the United States. (Slotkin, 1988). High dosages of nicotine in fetus through maternal infusions cause harm in the nervous system development of the fetus and lessen sustainability and growth. As a result, heavy pregnant smokers were more likely to have a premature delivery. The nicotine tightens the uterine blood vessels and causes a decline of the blood flow on the uterine. Therefore, the supply of oxygen and nutrients available to the embryo decrease rapidly. This compromises cell growth and may have an incompatible effect on the mental development of the offspring. Moreover, prenatal nicotine exposure not only resulted in a

Teenage pregnancy is a reoccurring problem within the United States. On average, nearly 750,000 American teenagers become pregnant each year. This issue needs to be solved, and there are many ways to accomplish this problem. One way is to provide birth control, without a prescription, to teenagers who are sexually active. Another way is to discontinue shows such as “16 and Pregnant,” which encourage teens to be sexually active and makes teens think pregnancy is not a major issue. More teenagers are sexually active than expected. Six out of ten women have sex as teens. Of these teens, 85% that have sex without birth control will become pregnant within one year. 82% of these pregnancies are unintended. Teenagers giving birth are more likely than adult women to experience maternal illnesses such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and death. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/6813/9611/7632/Reducing_Teen_Pregnancy.pdf

The United States citizens (especially women) have one of the least access to healthcare and worst health outcomes among developed countries in the world despite the US spending about two and a half times higher on health care per person than any other developed country in the world (Flynn, 2013). The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA, 2013) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2016) report similar data. This is reflected in the country’s disproportionately high unintended pregnancy rate (about half of all pregnancies are unintended), high teenage pregnancy and high maternal mortality rates (Fig 1, Table 1). Adverse maternal and child health outcomes such as delayed pre-natal care, premature birth, negative physical and mental health effects for children are some of the implications for unintended pregnancies (Guttmacher, 2016).