A message to health care professionals. Teen pRegnancy

A message to  health care professionals teen PREGNANCY. 

Teen pregnancy rates in the United States have decreased, but they are still too high. Every day, over a thousand babies are born to teen mothers. Having a child can have a huge impact on a young person's life and aspirations. Half of teen mothers don't graduate from high school and babies born to teens face increased medical risks. Most teen pregnancies happen because of sexual partners not using contraceptives at all or not using them properly or consistently. As a health care professional, you are critical to reducing teen pregnancy rates by encouraging adolescents having sex to improve their use of contraceptives. Talk with your teen patients about whether they're having sex. Educate those teens about all the contraceptive options available. Help them select the method they will more likely use the right way and every time. Let teens having sex know they are welcome to use any method of birth control. There are no restrictions on any method based solely on a teen's age. Like my girlfriend, some teens may feel more comfortable using long-acting, reversible contraception such as IUDs or implants. If a teen has had a pregnancy and continues to have sex, make sure she knows the benefits of long-acting, reversible birth control as one option. Most teens who are sexually active use condoms, and that's really good for preventing STDs, HIV and pregnancy. But, since condoms often are not used the right way and every time, they may not provide complete protection. That's a big problem. Make sure your teenage patients who are having sex understand 'dual protection': using both a condom and a hormonal method of birth control to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases such as H-I-V. As a health care provider, you can help improve the lives of all young people by giving them the information and tools they need to make healthy decisions. So talk to us about pregnancy and contraception. We'll listen.