About Teenage Pregnancy – Health Essay

A teenage girl may become pregnant as a result of many different situations. Some teenage girls become pregnant after a long term dating relationship, being drunk at a party, or as a result of a rape situation.

Even though most these examples are involuntary all pregnancies are a result of sexual intercourse unprotected. There are many contraceptives that can be used to prevent an unwanted birth. A contraceptive is any device, drug, or practice that prevents ovulation, fertilization, or implantation. Some contraceptives are male condoms, female condoms, spermicides, cervical caps with spermicides, implant of norplant, or natural family planning. The only way that is 100% sure that will keep you not pregnant is abstinence. Abstinence is a restraint from indulging a desire for something, for example in this case, sexual relations. Being pregnant at such a young age can be hard and stressful.
In 2000 the number of teen pregnancies in the United States was 821,810 (84 pregnancies per 1,000 people.) 18 percent of US teenagers have had sex prior to the age of fifteen. Each year almost 750,000 teenage girls aged 15-19 become pregnant. What is bad now in the United States is that it still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy when it is compared to other countries of similar status. Many people think that this is happening because kids are not being taught about sex and abstinence at a young age. Becoming pregnant at a young age has many consequences one is the mental health. The teenager might be scared to tell her parents, she might not know how to tell her boyfriend, or she might be scared of what people might think about her from now on.

Another consequence is that the teenager tends to have a higher level of depression than an adult after having her first child. Teens that become pregnant at a young age are more likely not to finish high school. 1/3 of teen moms do not finish high school. Not finishing high school can put a stop to the teen’s dreams and plans for their future. If the teenager cannot finish high school she can’t go to college which means she can’t get a degree and have a job that pays a lot. Many Teens who do not finish high school end up in poverty. Having a baby at such a young age is a full time job. Dealing with a child requires patience which a lot of teens don’t have.