Teenage pregnancy, yes it can happen!

Teen Pregnancy refers to pregnancy in women/girls who are aged 19 and under. In the past, it was generally assumed that most teen pregnancies resulted from inadequate sex education, lack of access to contraception and sexual health services. But now it is revealed that teen pregnancy is not a simple social problem that can be fixed with appropriate educational and health messages, and that a more comprehensive approach is required. Although it is an extremely difficult situation for a teen to deal with a teenage pregnancy, current statistics reveal that approximately 10% of girls 19 and under do get pregnant.

• Possible health risks to the pregnant teen and her growing baby
• The ability of the teen parent to care for and support her child
• The effect that pregnancy/parenting at a young age can have on the teen's life plan
• The social costs of supporting young mothers and their children

To avoid teen pregnancy, every girl should take some precautions, it may sound simple but here it is explained in simple language for you to understand

1. Make a proactive decision about whether or not you are going to engage in sexual intercourse. "It should never be something that is done to you," states Blum, who specializes in adolescent medicine.
2. If sexual intercourse is something you choose to do, then protect yourself against the major health risks such as HIV/AIDS, STDs and pregnancy.
3. Never assume that by "knowing" your partner that he or she is not infected. "You're likely to be wrong," Blum says, from drdonicca.com
4. Contraception used sometimes - works sometimes. "If you are going to engage in sexual intercourse, you need to use contraception always," Blum recommends.

Once you are pregnant and you are a teen you have few options that you can opt for the betterment of your life and the unborn child. If you can take care of your child which is a big responsibility go with the pregnancy and take good care of yourself and get help from family and friends.

Adoption: If you are not ready physically or financially to take the responsibility of your child you can opt for adoption i.e. someone else becomes the legal parent of your child. This may be difficult because of an emotional connection to the baby but does not mean you love your baby any less.

Fostering: Sometimes, teenage mothers complete their pregnancy but still cannot decide whether or not to keep the baby. It is sometimes an option to put that baby in foster care while the mother gets support in making her decision.

Abortion: It is the female's right to ask for a procedure that terminates her pregnancy in its early stages. This is a legal medical procedure in most of the countries. If you are trying to have an abortion in secret, be sure to still use a legal abortion clinic.

Pregnant teens can have many different emotional reactions:

1. some may not want their babies
2. some may want them for idealized and unrealistic ways
3. others may view the creation of a child as an achievement and not recognize the serious responsibilities
4. some may keep a child to please another family member
5. some may want a baby to have someone to love, but not recognize the amount of care the baby needs
6. depression is also common among pregnant teens
7. many do not anticipate that their adorable baby can also be demanding and sometimes irritating
8. some become overwhelmed by guilt, anxiety, and fears about the future
9. depression is also common among pregnant teens

Every teenage girl should take precautions and parents of teenage children should give them the knowledge to maker the best choices in life.

(Sources: drdonnica.com, beststart.org, spiderbytes.ca, allaboutlifechallenges.org, aacap.org)