Facts About Teenage Pregnancy
The teenage years of one's life can be a pretty exciting time. It's a time of discovery and exercising some form of independence as teens begin to test the waters and exercise their own judgment. It's also a time when some mistakes can really change the course of one's life irrevocably. Teenage pregnancy is one of those things that can really turn your teen's life around.
According to childstats.gov, the number of teenage girls and boys in their high school years who do not practice safe sex is a lot higher than those who do practice safe sex. The chart below shows the percentage of high school students who admit to having sex but took the time to use some form of birth control. Between 75-80% of high school students who admitted to being sexually active does not practice any form of birth control, and most of them are boys.
Because of not using birth control methods (or using them improperly), many teens face an unwanted pregnancy. Many teen pregnancies end up in abortion and miscarriage. Here is a table of the estimated numbers of births, miscarriages, and abortions among teens younger than 20 years old in the US.
A lot of teenage pregnancies end up in miscarriage because teen girls' bodies are not yet mature enough to carry babies to full term. A lot of teens also don't plan to get pregnant and are unprepared for the physical adjustments and demands this makes on their bodies. They have no means of paying for prenatal vitamins or checkups and don't know how to take care of themselves and their babies.
Teen Help - What your teens need to know about unwanted teenage pregnancies
- Anybody can get pregnant on the first time they have sex - Many young people honestly don't know that all it takes is having unprotected sex one time for them to get pregnant.
- Teenage pregnancy can be dangerous - Getting pregnant when your body is not prepared for it yet exposes both the mother and the baby to health pregnancy-related health risks and complications like high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, low birth weight, premature birth, and many others.
- It affects teens' studies - Statistically speaking, only one-third of teenage moms finish their high school studies. Because of the limited educational attainment of most teen moms, the kind of jobs that they qualify for is also quite limited. Unwanted teen pregnancies have an economic effect on young people in the future. About 75% of teenage moms end up depending on welfare for the first five years of their children's lives.
- Many teen moms become single parents - According to statistics, 90% of teenage fathers leave teen moms and pay an extremely low amount in child support. These young women are left to raise their children on their own or make difficult decisions by themselves.
- No birth control method is 100% reliable - All birth control methods don't have a 100% success rate. In some instances, they may fail. The only way to be 100% sure that you will not become pregnant (or not have anybody pregnant) is to not have sex.
What is the cost of having a baby?
Many young people get pregnant without really seeing the entire picture. Babies are cute, but they're not accessories. They require a lot of money and effort to raise. According to the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, as of 2010, it takes almost $10,000 per child per year, depending on the income of the parents and the age of the child. This also does not include the cost of college education.
As children grow older, the annual expenditure increases, especially for families that live in urban areas. Some of the things that parents need to think about include rent, utilities, furnishings, food expenses, clothing, healthcare, and others.
Child-rearing is certainly not cheap. Not to mention that young parents need to make decisions that can affect the way that they raise their children.
Teen Help - What should teens do when expecting a child?
The first thing teens should probably do is to talk to their parents/guardians. If they are on their own, it's even more important to find a strong support system because the road ahead may get pretty tough. Pregnant teens should also be encouraged to talk to their school's guidance counselor and ask about their options, especially on dealing with personal and medical needs.