A new government study suggests a lot of teenage girls are clueless about their chances of getting pregnant.
In a survey of thousands of teenage mothers who had unintended pregnancies, about a third who didn't use birth control said the reason was they didn't believe they could pregnant.
Why they thought that isn't clear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey didn't ask teens to explain.
But other researchers have talked to teen moms who believed they couldn't get pregnant the first time they had sex, didn't think they could get pregnant at that time of the month or thought they were sterile.
"This report underscores how much misperception, ambivalence and magical thinking put teens at risk for unintended pregnancy," said Bill Albert, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Other studies have asked teens about their contraception use and beliefs about pregnancy. But the CDC report released Thursday is the first to focus on teens who didn't want to get pregnant but did.
The researchers interviewed nearly 5,000 teenage girls in 19 states who gave birth after unplanned pregnancies in 2004 through 2008. The survey was done through mailed questionnaires with telephone follow-up.
About 50% of the girls surveyed said they were not using any birth control when they got pregnant. That percentage is higher than that of teens in general; studies have note that, overall, less than 20% of sexually active teens reported that the did not use contraception the last time they had sex. Co-author Lorie Gavin noted, “I think what surprised us was the extent to which they were not using contraception.” The teen moms were asked what kind of contraception they were using. Of those that were not using any method of birth control when they got pregnant, nearly one third (31.4%) believed they could not get pregnant at the time; 21.0% used a highly effective contraceptive method (less than 1% used an intrauterine device (IUD), which is not as well tolerated by those that have not delivered a child); 24.2% used condoms; and 5.1% used the least effective methods, such as rhythm and withdrawal. According to the investigators, the reason that teens using contraception became pregnant was not due to a faulty product, rather the girls failed to use it correctly or consistently. Only 13% of the teen moms not using contraception reported that they did not because they had difficulty in obtaining it.
The study also noted that almost 25% of the teen moms who did not use birth control reported that they did not because their partner did not want them to. This finding suggests that sex education must include not only information about anatomy and birth control but also about how to deal with situations in which a girl feels pressured to do engage in unsafe sex.
In a survey of thousands of teenage mothers who had unintended pregnancies, about a third who didn't use birth control said the reason was they didn't believe they could pregnant.
Why they thought that isn't clear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey didn't ask teens to explain.
But other researchers have talked to teen moms who believed they couldn't get pregnant the first time they had sex, didn't think they could get pregnant at that time of the month or thought they were sterile.
"This report underscores how much misperception, ambivalence and magical thinking put teens at risk for unintended pregnancy," said Bill Albert, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Other studies have asked teens about their contraception use and beliefs about pregnancy. But the CDC report released Thursday is the first to focus on teens who didn't want to get pregnant but did.
The researchers interviewed nearly 5,000 teenage girls in 19 states who gave birth after unplanned pregnancies in 2004 through 2008. The survey was done through mailed questionnaires with telephone follow-up.
About 50% of the girls surveyed said they were not using any birth control when they got pregnant. That percentage is higher than that of teens in general; studies have note that, overall, less than 20% of sexually active teens reported that the did not use contraception the last time they had sex. Co-author Lorie Gavin noted, “I think what surprised us was the extent to which they were not using contraception.” The teen moms were asked what kind of contraception they were using. Of those that were not using any method of birth control when they got pregnant, nearly one third (31.4%) believed they could not get pregnant at the time; 21.0% used a highly effective contraceptive method (less than 1% used an intrauterine device (IUD), which is not as well tolerated by those that have not delivered a child); 24.2% used condoms; and 5.1% used the least effective methods, such as rhythm and withdrawal. According to the investigators, the reason that teens using contraception became pregnant was not due to a faulty product, rather the girls failed to use it correctly or consistently. Only 13% of the teen moms not using contraception reported that they did not because they had difficulty in obtaining it.
The study also noted that almost 25% of the teen moms who did not use birth control reported that they did not because their partner did not want them to. This finding suggests that sex education must include not only information about anatomy and birth control but also about how to deal with situations in which a girl feels pressured to do engage in unsafe sex.
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