Pregnancy Facts for Parents

Answer: The most important thing parents can do to prevent teen pregnancy is to be involved in their teen's lives. Spend time with your teen every day. Talk to your teen and not only tell them that you are there for them, but show it in your actions. Get interested in what your teen is interested in and if they have no interests, help them find some. Be active as a family and show your unconditional love.

The more you are involved with your teen, the more you will be able to keep up open lines of communication about tough issues like teen pregnancy and the more you will help your teen avoid this problem.

Answer: Teen pregnancy is common enough that parents of teenagers need to be aware of its probability in their family and be proactive in its prevention. Here are the latest statistics:

• Each year, almost 750,000 women aged 15-19 become pregnant. Overall, 75 pregnancies occur every year per 1,000 women aged 15-19; this rate has declined 36% since its peak in 1990.
• Eleven percent of all U.S. births are to teens.
• Two-thirds of all teen pregnancies occur among 18-19-year-olds.
• Teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in many other developed countries—twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan.
• About 1 in 3 women become pregnant at least once before they're 20.
• In 2006, about 4 in 100 teenage girls had a baby.
• And a December 2007 report by the CDC shows a 3% increase in teenage pregnancy from 2005 to 2006.

Answer: Teens want to know the facts so they can make a choice. Part of these facts include the teen’s family values. You can most help your teen by giving him/her the facts on sex/teen pregnancy/relationships and by sharing your values and expectations. Here are some questions that The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy say teens want to know from their parents:

• How do I know if I'm in love?
• Will sex bring me closer to my girlfriend/boyfriend?
• How will I know when I'm ready to have sex?
• Should I wait until marriage?
• Will having sex make me popular?
• Will it make me more grown-up and open up more adult activities to me?
• How do I tell my boyfriend that I don't want to have sex without losing him or hurting his feelings?
• How do I manage pressure from my girlfriend to have sex?
• How does contraception work?
• Are some methods better than others?
• Are they safe?
• Can you get pregnant the first time?

Answer: Teen pregnancy should concern everyone because it affects everyone in these ways:

• Teen pregnancies cost taxpayers 9.1 billion each year.
• More than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school.
• Billions of dollars are spent taking care of teenage mothers and their children and they are more likely to be in the poverty bracket.
• Only 1.5% of teen mothers have a college degree by age 30.
• Children of teenage mothers have lower birth weights, are more likely to perform poorly in school and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect.
• Sons of teen mothers are 13 percent more likely to end up in prison.
• Daughters of teen mothers are 22 percent more likely to become teen mothers themselves.
• Nearly 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to preventing teen pregnancy.

Answer: People often believe that the only risks from teens having sex are pregnancy or getting an STD. Not true. Teens who have sex are at risk for emotional problems too.

It has been clear for quite some time that teen sex and emotional problems such as depression are related. What has not been clear is if teen sex causes depression, or depression causes teens to have sex. Recent research suggests that both may be true. Teens, especially girls, who have sexual intercourse may be at greater risk for depression. And depression in teens is now known to lead to risky sexual behaviors.

A 2005 study recommended that teen girls who have sex be screened for depression. This journal article found that teen girls who had sex, took drugs, and/or started drinking were up to three times more likely to be depressed a year later than girls who did not take those risks.

For boys, the researchers found things to be a bit different. Boys who do a number of unhealthy things, like smoking cigarettes every day, smoking marijuana, and drinking alcohol, were more likely to be depressed.

Another study, which also used data from that same large survey of teens, tried to learn whether depression predicts risky sexual behavior. The researchers found that boys and girls who have symptoms of depression are more likely to get involved in very risky sexual behaviors, such as not using a condom, having sex with a number of partners, and using alcohol or other drugs when they had sex.

One thing is also very clear: most teens who have sex wish they had waited. In fact, whether you ask boys or girls, older teens or younger teens, a large majority say they wish they had waited. According to a survey conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2 out of 3 (66%) sexually experienced teens wish they had waited longer before first having sexual intercourse. And nearly 2 out of 3 (63%) of those teen boys and more than 2 out of 3 (69%) of those teen girls wish they had waited. And of those teens 12- to 14-years-old, 7 out of 10 (71%) wish they had waited. Of those teens 15-19, 6 out of 10 (63%) said they wish they had waited.