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Adolescent pregnancy

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Teenage pregnancy; Pregnancy - teenage

Prevention:

There are many different kinds of teen-pregnancy prevention programs.

Abstinence education programs encourage postponing sexual involvement until marriage or until a person is mature enough to handle sexual activity, and a potential pregnancy, in a responsible manner.

Knowledge-based programs focus on teaching adolescents about their bodies and normal functions as well as providing detailed information about contraceptives.

Clinic-focused programs provide easier access to information, counseling by health care providers, and contraceptive services. Many of these are through school-based clinics.

Peer counseling programs typically involve older and respected teens who encourage other teens to resist peer and social pressures to become sexually involved. These programs tend to take more of an experiential approach, helping teens to personalize risks. Peer counseling programs also provide, for those teens already involved in sexual activities, the skills to negotiate within relationships and the information needed to obtain and successfully use contraceptives.

References:

U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics:Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information . New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute; 2004

• Review Date: 2/27/2006
• Reviewed By: Melanie N. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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