Pregnancy

Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy can be a scary subject for a lot of girls; however it’s only a concern if you are sexually active. The best time to engage in sexual activities is when you have a committed partner and when you are in an exclusive relationship (both of you not seeing other people). Even then accidents might happen, just one time not using contraception might result in a little bub of your very own, and unless you planned for this, it can be stress filled and worrying time. You are not alone though, research suggests that two in every 100 girls aged between 15 and 19 years become pregnant every year in Australia. Luckily, you have a secret weapon to make sure that doesn’t happen; good info!! U by Kotex is here to be your guiding light on sensitive subjects, like how to avoid getting pregnant, what to do if you think you are pregnant and how to deal with an unforseen pregnancy.

How to avoid getting pregnant

The only sure fire way to ensure you don’t get pregnant is not to have sex at all. Even making the decision to have sex is a really massive one and something you shouldn’t really do without your mind and body being totally ready. If you have decided to have sex and feel you and your partner are ready for it, there are a few precautions we recommend. The first thing you should think about is what kind of contraceptives (something that stops you getting pregnant) you are going to use. Pregnancy is not the only thing to worry about, keeping your vagina healthy usually means using a condom to prevent STDs. Speak to your doctor about your options.

Choose a birth control method, whether it is The Pill, Condoms, a Diaphragm or a different option prescribed by your doctor. Reminding your partner and getting him to remind you to use protection can make the whole process a lot easier. If you find you don’t feel comfortable with your first chosen method of contraceptive, try another one until you have found one that that you and your partner feel comfortable with.
If you did have unprotected sex (come on girls, you should know better than that) and are really worried about getting pregnant, you can get the Emergency Contraceptive Pill from pharmacies or chemists. It is possible to take this pill up to 120 hours after unprotected sex (although the earlier the better) and in most cases it will stop pregnancy. Young mums (20 years and under) are more likely to have complications during pregnancy and birth so if you are pregnant make sure you have spoken with your doctor about the different options available.

What to do if you think you are pregnant

First things first, what signs might suggest you are pregnant? Well, often girls notice is that they missed their period for the month. While a late menstrual cycle does not always indicate a teenage pregnancy, if combined with other noticeable things going on with your body you should sit up and take notice:

• Some light bleeding or spotting – this type of bleeding is normally lighter in colour than a regular period and doesn’t last as long (see our period when pregnant section for more info on this)
• Nausea – Morning sickness is one of the typical signs of pregnancy. For some girls, the queasiness can start as early as two weeks after conception.
• The area around your nipples suddenly going a little darker.
• Going to the toilet a lot – pregnancy causes you to need to pee way more than usual.
• Really tired – it takes loads of energy to grow a baby and this might make you mega tired all the time.

If you have any of these things happening to you, a quick trip to the local chemist for a home pregnancy test might be a good option. They are really easy to use, it’s as simple as weeing on a little strip and hey presto in 5 minutes you know whether you are pregnant or not.

How to deal with an unforseen teenage pregnancy

What if the pregnancy test is positive (gulp)? Well although the home pregnancy tests are quick and easy to use, they have been known to be wrong on some rare occasions so make an appointment with your doc to get a proper blood test, just to double check the results. The next step is talking to your parents; they might be even more shocked than you but in most cases will shower you with love and support to get you through this difficult time. If you feel that for some reason, you can’t talk to your parents, a friend, relative, teacher, or your doc are all good choices in terms of people to chat to. You may need to involve the baby’s father in some of these talks. The key thing to remember is that you need your friends and family more than ever before and being able to talk with each other, especially when emotions are running high, is important to making the situation as easy to deal with as possible.

If you want to know more about pregnancy check out the Huggies website for loads of excellent info.