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AN ARTICLE HOSTED BY IMPREGNORIUM.NET ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY
Symptoms of Pregnancy
You may be pregnant if you have had sexual intercourse and you have symptoms of pregnancy: A missed period -- (if your periods are usually regular). A short, scant period. Breasts that are sore, tender or swollen. You feel sick to your stomach, or you are vomiting. Fatigue -- feeling more tired than usual. You need to urinate more often than usual. Mood swings These symptoms don't usually occur until you have missed your period for about 2 weeks, but this varies from woman to woman, symptoms can occur earlier for some women (sometimes a week after a missed period). If you have missed your period, but have not yet taken a pregnancy test, don't assume you're pregnant. Continue to use contraception if you have intercourse and don't want to be pregnant. Remember that the length of your menstrual cycle can vary. There can be major changes in your cycle when you're under a great deal of stress. Before you proceed to get extremely worried, see if you have any of the signs of pregnancy. Signs of pregnancy usually occur one to two weeks after conception, although the they will vary from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy. If you have any or all of these symptoms, go right away to your health care provider or family planning clinic and ask for a pregnancy test! If you don't want to go to a clinic yet, buy a home pregnancy test at any pharmacy. (These can be expensive), but this is an important test. READ the directions carefully before you use it and follow them.
About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year; 95% of those pregnancies are unintended, and almost one third end in abortion. Public costs from teenage childbearing totaled $120 billion from 1985 -- 1990; $48 billion could have been saved if each birth had been postponed until the mother was at least 20 years old. Birth rates during 1991 -- 1996 declined for teenagers in all racial and ethnic groups. Birth rates among teenagers vary substantially from state to state; some states have rates almost three times higher than those of the states with the lowest rates. 13 community partnerships in 11 states are implementing comprehensive, integrated youth programs to prevent teenage pregnancies and related problems. 8 nongovernmental organizations are supported to assist states to develop and implement strategies to prevent pregnancy among teenagers. Statistics from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC's Reproductive Health Information Source
Deciding what to do about an unplanned pregnancy can be difficult. Professional pregnancy counselors are sometimes called "option counselors." Option counselors can help women and girls with this decision. Option counselors help people decide for themselves. They do not make the decision. Nor do they try to convince anyone that one choice is better than another. These counselors have accurate information about all pregnancy options -- having the baby, adoption, foster care and abortion. Teens do not need their parents' permission to talk with an options counselor. If a teen wants to include her parents or partner in her decision, the options counselor can help. If you can tell your parents it is often helpful. Many parents will be upset at first, but they will find out eventually most of the time. It is better not to try to hide the fact that you are pregnant, regardless of your decision on what to do about it. Remember, family planning clinics have professional options counselors. Planned Parenthood's number is: 1-800-230-PLAN, they will be able to tell you where you can get a confidential test in your area of the U.S. Visit them at www.plannedparenthood.org. They will also talk to your parent or parents too if that is your preference. Another recommended counseling organization is: America's Pregnancy Helpline - 1-888-4-OPTIONS - they provide counseling and information regarding pregnancy options. See the hotline page for more phone numbers for adoption, abortion or to talk to a counselor. There are also more resources at the bottom of this page.
PREGNANCY TEST -- How Soon After Sex? Home pregnancy tests are sensitive enough that they can detect a pregnancy as early as one week after fertilization. Update, May 2002, many home pregnancy kits are now more reliable and may be accurate as early as several days after a missed period. (If you usually have a regular cycle). Home pregnancy tests are most accurate about 27 days after conception. This is when a menstrual period is 10 -12 days late, although some tests do say they can be used as early as 2 days after a missed period. * Update: Some of the new pregnancy tests say you can use them one day after a missed period. If your cycle is not regular, wait another day to use it. (Or you might be wasting your money). Collect a good urine specimen. If the directions call for the use of a container, use a new or clean one. A washed-out bottle may interfere with the results. Most tests today provide a small disposable cup for you to use or you pee directly onto them. Perform the test in the morning when urine is the most concentrated. BUT, you can use them at any time of the day. (Refrain from the use of aspirin or marijuana the day before and the day of the test).
Results can be one of two things: Remember, you can be pregnant and have no symptoms at all, except missing you period. If you have had sex without using birth control and are worried you might be pregnant, talk with a health care provider or with a counselor at your clinic. How The Test Works (FYI) There are many hormones in a woman's body. One hormone called HCG, (human gonadotropic hormone) is in her body ONLY when she is pregnant. Urine pregnancy tests are designed to react with this hormone (HCG), which is secreted into a pregnant woman's blood and urine by the developing placenta.
Pelvic Exam The pelvic exam is another part of a pregnancy test. By checking the size of the uterus a health care provider can tell how many weeks the woman has been pregnant. Some clinics may even use an ultrasound machine on the outside of your belly to determine how many weeks pregnant you are. It is not painful and very accurate. Blood Test
What Can A Young Woman Do When She Finds Out She's Pregnant?
1. Have the baby and take care
of it. 1 & 4) These can mean a big change in a girl's life. Having a baby can be wonderful. But it is also hard work and costs a lot of money. The support of the child's father, and parents helps, but she may have to do this alone. Is this something you are prepared to do? A teenage girl should think about what she wants to do in the next few years and how she can accomplish these goals if she has a baby now. She might want to finish school, get a job, or get her own place to live before she thinks of being a parent. If she decides to have the baby it is important to get special prenatal health care right away. 2) Have the baby & place it up for adoption. This is a permanent decision. It means that the girl (the birth mother) decides she cannot take care of the baby. The baby's father must also decide he cannot take care of the baby. Then an agency places the baby with another family to raise. This is the adoptive family. There are organizations to help arrange adoption and all the legal stuff that is involved with that. Once the adoption is final, the birth mother usually has no contact with the child. Sometimes, when the child grows up, the child may want to contact the birth mother. Every situation is different. 3) Have the baby & have a foster parent care for the baby for a short time. Foster care means the baby is cared for by another person while the mother gets ready to raise the baby permanently. This might mean finishing school, finding a place to live or getting a job. Foster care is handled through certain agencies. It can be difficult to arrange and may not be available in some areas of the U.S. Find out your legal rights before deciding on this!
In the second three months of pregnancy abortions are harder to get and more expensive. There are several kinds of later abortions. One, called a D&E, is like vacuum aspiration. A D&E requires a doctor with special skills and training. Another method is to cause a miscarriage with medicine. Later abortions may require one or more days in the hospital. In some states, teens do not need anyone's permission to get an abortion. In other states, teens need their parent's permission or a Judge's permission to get an abortion. Your clinic or health care provider will know the laws in your particular state of the U.S. (More details on abortion in the 'Abortion' section). For more on this topic -- visit the Planned Parenthood site at www.plannedparenthood.org 1-800-230-PLAN For the Laws regarding Abortion in your State in the U.S. check out this page from 2002. Whatever you decide, TELL the person who helped get you pregnant that you are pregnant. It took two of you to do this, you are not alone. These are decisions that many young people want to make together. If you decide to have the baby, you will need good prenatal care. This following information is only an introduction, you will need a health care provider or prenatal clinic for proper prenatal care!
Prenatal care is special health care during
pregnancy. It helps pregnant women stay healthy and helps them have healthy
babies. Prenatal care is especially important for teenagers, since teenagers
are still growing themselves and often don't eat right. Have a baby that weighs less than other babies at birth. Low-birth weight babies are more likely to have serious illnesses. They also have a greater chance of dying before their first birthday than normal weight babies. Teens are still growing themselves and pregnancy adds an extra strain on their bodies. So, it's important to get examined early in your pregnancy.
Alcohol and Your Baby
1-800-ALCOHOL (1-800-252-6465) is a national help and referral line for people suffering the effects of alcohol and drug abuse. Your local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter is in the white pages of the phone book. 1-800-NCA-CALL (1-800-622-2255) the National Council on Alcoholism will also provide you with information on pregnancy and alcohol.
National Office of Post Abortion Trauma
National Abortion Federation
National Adoption Center
Post-Abortion Project Rachel
Children of the World - (if you want to
adopt)
The Independent Adoption Center |
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