Teen Sex: Protecting Your Kids against Pregnancy and STIs

As a parent, nothing wreaks havoc on your mental wellness more than the idea that your teenagers are having sex. Unfortunately, however, teen sexual health is a pressing issue, with research showing that many teenagers are sexually active by the time they reach high school. This means that your child’s wellbeing is at great risk to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as the emotional consequences of having sex. Therefore, you have to get proactive with your teen, and discuss the importance of contraception before sexual activity begins.

 

When having “The Talk” with your teenager, abstinence is still a valid subject to discuss. Whether you feel strongly against the idea of sex before marriage, or you just want to make sure your son or daughter is ready to have sex, explain how you feel to your teen. It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling your teen what to do, without letting them know your reasons for doing so. Share the reasons behind your beliefs, rather than just laying down the law, and you’ll give your teenager something to think about and, hopefully, believe themselves.

 

That is not to say you should ignore your teenager’s own values – far from it. You should ask your teenager to think about their values and hopes for the future, and how sex might affect these things. Adolescents are particularly prone to risky sexual behaviours, and the only way to absolutely prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections – such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and HIV – is to practice abstinence from all forms of sexual activity. Plus, having sex makes break-ups all the more emotionally damaging, so remind your teen that there are many nonsexual ways he or she can show feelings for someone.

 

That said, you can’t stop your teenager from doing what he or she wants to do. However, you can make sure they practise safe sex. It’s important for everyone to understand birth control, whether your teenager has decided to wait for sex or not. One day, he or she will need to know how to prevent pregnancy and protect himself or herself from sexually transmitted infections, and the only way to ensure they gain this knowledge is to give it to them. When talking about contraception, don’t be vague but go into all the methods available. This includes:

 

1. Condoms: While other contraceptives prevent pregnancy, your teenager needs a barrier method in order to guard their wellbeing against STIs. Make sure your teen understands the importance of always using condoms during sex, as well as the correct way of using them.

 

2. Prescription birth control: There are various contraceptive methods your teenager can get on prescription to prevent pregnancy. This includes combination birth control pills, the contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra), vaginal ring (NuvaRing) and contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera). Your daughter will need to visit a doctor, who will review her medical history, conduct a pelvic exam, and go over the risks and benefits of different types of birth control. While these methods can be extremely effective in preventing pregnancies, make sure your teen knows that prescription birth control doesn’t offer protection from STIs.

 

3. Emergency birth control: While it’s important for your teen to make a decision about birth control before having sex, emergency contraception — such as the morning-after pill (Ella, Plan B One-Step or Next Choice) — can help prevent pregnancy if your teen doesn’t plan ahead or contraception fails. You need to tell your teenager that emergency contraception must be started as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse, and within 120 hours to be effective.

Categories: Birth Control, Emergency contraception, pregnancy, prescription birth, prevent pregnancy, sexual activity, sexually transmitted, STIs, teen, teenager, Teenagers, transmitted infections

Teen Sex: Protecting Your Kids against Pregnancy and STIs

As a parent, nothing wreaks havoc on your mental wellness more than the idea that your teenagers are having sex. Unfortunately, however, teen sexual health is a pressing issue, with research showing that many teenagers are sexually active by the time they reach high school. This means that your child’s wellbeing is at great risk to pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as the emotional consequences of having sex. Therefore, you have to get proactive with your teen, and discuss the importance of contraception before sexual activity begins.

 

When having “The Talk” with your teenager, abstinence is still a valid subject to discuss. Whether you feel strongly against the idea of sex before marriage, or you just want to make sure your son or daughter is ready to have sex, explain how you feel to your teen. It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling your teen what to do, without letting them know your reasons for doing so. Share the reasons behind your beliefs, rather than just laying down the law, and you’ll give your teenager something to think about and, hopefully, believe themselves.

 

That is not to say you should ignore your teenager’s own values – far from it. You should ask your teenager to think about their values and hopes for the future, and how sex might affect these things. Adolescents are particularly prone to risky sexual behaviours, and the only way to absolutely prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections – such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and HIV – is to practice abstinence from all forms of sexual activity. Plus, having sex makes break-ups all the more emotionally damaging, so remind your teen that there are many nonsexual ways he or she can show feelings for someone.

 

That said, you can’t stop your teenager from doing what he or she wants to do. However, you can make sure they practise safe sex. It’s important for everyone to understand birth control, whether your teenager has decided to wait for sex or not. One day, he or she will need to know how to prevent pregnancy and protect himself or herself from sexually transmitted infections, and the only way to ensure they gain this knowledge is to give it to them. When talking about contraception, don’t be vague but go into all the methods available. This includes:

 

1. Condoms: While other contraceptives prevent pregnancy, your teenager needs a barrier method in order to guard their wellbeing against STIs. Make sure your teen understands the importance of always using condoms during sex, as well as the correct way of using them.

 

2. Prescription birth control: There are various contraceptive methods your teenager can get on prescription to prevent pregnancy. This includes combination birth control pills, the contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra), vaginal ring (NuvaRing) and contraceptive injection (Depo-Provera). Your daughter will need to visit a doctor, who will review her medical history, conduct a pelvic exam, and go over the risks and benefits of different types of birth control. While these methods can be extremely effective in preventing pregnancies, make sure your teen knows that prescription birth control doesn’t offer protection from STIs.

 

3. Emergency birth control: While it’s important for your teen to make a decision about birth control before having sex, emergency contraception — such as the morning-after pill (Ella, Plan B One-Step or Next Choice) — can help prevent pregnancy if your teen doesn’t plan ahead or contraception fails. You need to tell your teenager that emergency contraception must be started as soon as possible after unprotected intercourse, and within 120 hours to be effective.

Categories: Birth Control, Emergency contraception, pregnancy, prescription birth, prevent pregnancy, sexual activity, sexually transmitted, STIs, teen, teenager, Teenagers, transmitted infections

Not a Fan of Pill Popping? Try Using the Birth Control Ring

You want to take control of your sexual health and wellness, but you know you’re going to forget to take the Pill at the same time every day, or you have trouble swallowing pills. If this sounds like you, and you’re comfortable enough with your body to insert a device into your vagina, the vagina ring may be a good choice for you. Not all women should use a vaginal ring, especially if your wellbeing is affected by blood clots, severe high blood pressure, certain types of cancers, certain types of migraine headaches, or diabetes with certain complications. However, if that’s not the case, and you’d like to know more about this form of birth control, read on!

 

The birth control ring is a soft, flexible and doughnut-shaped, with a diameter of about two inches. You insert it into your vagina, and the ring slowly releases hormones though the vaginal wall and into your blood stream. Generally speaking, hormones are chemicals the body makes to control organ function, and the ones released by the ring – oestrogen and progesterone – affect your ovaries and uterus in order to prevent pregnancy. The combination of hormones stops the ovulation process, or the release of an egg from your ovaries during your monthly cycle. The ring also thickens the mucus around your cervix, making it difficult for the sperm to enter your uterus. Plus, the ring can sometime affect the lining in your uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall and enable a baby to develop.

 

Much in the same way that you would use the birth control pill or the patch, you insert the ring based on your monthly cycle. Just like inserting a tampon, you place the ring inside your vagina on the first day of your cycle, or before day five of your cycle. You leave it there for three weeks and, on the same day of the week as you inserted the ring and at about the same time of day, you remove it. Your period should start a few days later and, at the end of the fourth week, you insert a new ring and restart the process. Again, you should insert the new ring on the same day, and roughly at the same time, as you have done previously. Moreover, you should place the new ring on that day even if you’re still on your period.

 

The hormones in the ring don’t kick in straightaway, which means you should use another form of birth control, such as a condom, for the first seven days. After this, you won’t need to use the ring to prevent pregnancy, but continuing to use condoms will protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Because the ring is not a barrier method of birth control, it’s not critical that you place the ring in the exact right position, as long as you can wear it comfortably. If the ring does not feel comfortable, you can push it further back or remove it and try inserting it again. Once it is in place, most girls do not feel the ring. You can leave it there during exercise, swimming, bathing and intercourse, and it’s unlikely that it will fall out. However, if it does, you can simply rinse it under cold water and reinsert it, as long as you do so within three hours. If you reinsert the ring outside of this timeframe, you’ll need to use an additional method of birth control until the ring has been in for another seven days.

Categories: birth, Birth Control, control, control ring, hormones, insert, monthly cycle, prevent pregnancy, ring, vagina, vaginal ring

Birth Control Breakdown: Which is the Most Effective?

There are so many methods of birth control out there, but how do you know which is best for your sexual health and wellness. While condoms are the ONLY birth control method that protects your wellbeing against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), when it comes to preventing unwanted pregnancies, some contraceptive methods work better than others. The only way to truly, 100% prevent pregnancy is not to have sex at all. However, many couples who commit to abstinence end up becoming pregnant within the first year, as they slip up and have sex without using protection. Therefore, even if you don’t plan to have sex, it’s still a good idea to know about birth control.

 

Guarding your wellbeing against STIs and unwanted pregnancies isn’t just about whacking on a condom; couples who do have sex need to use birth control properly and every time to prevent pregnancy. The Pill, for example, is very effective for preventing pregnancy but if you forget to take your pill at the same time every day, you may be one of the eight in 100 couples every year who use the Pill but still get pregnant. The effectiveness of the birth control method you use will also depend on your age, as some birth control methods are less effective for teen users. Fertility awareness or the rhythm method may not be a great choice if you’re a teenage girl, as your body is yet to settle into a regular menstrual cycle.

 

We’ve listed the different birth control methods based on their typical use rates. This means that we’ve noted the data of how effective each method is based on how the average person uses that birth control, rather than if someone were to use that method perfectly. The term “completely effective” means that no couples will become pregnant while using that method. “Very effective means that between one and two out of 100 couples become pregnant while using that method, “effective” means that two to 12 out of 100 couples become pregnant while using that method, and “moderately effective” means that 13 to 20 out of 100 couples become pregnant while using that method. At the other end of the scale, “less effective” means that 21 to 40 out of 100 couples become pregnant while using that method and “not effective” means that more than 40 out of 100 couples become pregnant while using that method.

 

Consistent Abstinence: No couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s completely effective and also protects against STIs.

 

Birth Control Patch (“The Patch”): Eight out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

Birth Control Pill (“The Pill”): Eight out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

Birth Control Ring (“The Ring”): Eight out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

Female Condom: 21 out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s less effective but does protect against STIs.

 

Male Condom: 18 out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s moderately effective and protects against STIs.

 

Birth Control Injection: Three out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

Diaphragm: 16 out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s moderately effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

Emergency Contraception: One to two out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s very effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

IUD: Fewer than one out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s very effective but does not protect against STIs.

 

Fertility Awareness: 25 out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s less effective and does not protect against STIs.

 

Spermicide: 29 out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s less effective and does not protect against STIs.

 

Withdrawal (“Pulling Out”): 27 out of 100           couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s less effective and does not protect against STIs.

 

No Birth Control: 85 out of 100 couples using this method will get pregnant in a year. It’s not effective and does not protect against STIs.

Categories: Birth Control, completely effective, Condoms, control method, effective means, fertility awareness, moderately effective, nbsp birth, prevent pregnancy, stis nbsp, The pill

Popping the Pill: Is it a Good Birth Control Option for You?

Although condoms are the only birth control method that protects your wellbeing from STIs, they are not 100% effective at preventing pregnancy – and, in the heat of the moment, they can be forgotten altogether. Therefore, it’s a wise idea to take your sexual health into your own hands, and use a second method of birth control. As many women turn to the Pill to guard their wellness against unwanted pregnancies, let’s take a closer look at what the Pill is, what it does, and whether or not it’s a good option for you.

 

The birth control pill is a pill you need to take every day, to give your body the hormones it needs to prevent pregnancy. The hormones in the Pill control your ovaries and uterus, providing your body with oestrogen and progesterone hormones that stop your ovaries from ovulating. Ovulation is the process in which your ovaries release an egg during your monthly cycle, and so no egg means no baby. The Pill also thickens the mucus around your cervix, making it difficult for the sperm to enter your uterus. Plus, the Pill can sometime affect the lining in your uterus, making it difficult for an egg to attach to the wall and enable a baby to develop.

 

If you buy the Pill, you’ll find it comes either in a 21-day pack or a 28-day pack. If you have the former, you take a pill every day at about the same time, and then stop taking pills for seven days. If you have the 28-day pack, you will continue to take pills, but the last seven do not contain hormones. This may be a good option for you if you need to stay in your pill-taking mindset, otherwise you might stop for seven days and get out of your routine. When you stop taking the pill for seven days, or use the 28-day pack, you will have your period.

 

You can also get a variation of combination pill that decreases the frequency of your periods by supplying a hormone pill for 12 weeks and then inactive pills for 7 days. As you can probably work out, this means you’ve have a period every 3 months instead of every month. Then you have what’s known as the mini-pill, which changes the number of periods you have but may be slightly less effective at preventing pregnancy. The mini-pill only contains a low dose of progesterone, rather than a combination of oestrogen and progesterone, and its main job is to change your cervical mucus and uterus lining, but it may sometimes also affect ovulation. You take the mini-pill every day without a break, and it may take away all your periods or still enable some, irregular periods.

 

For the mini-pill to work, it must be taken at the same time every day, without missing any doses. However, this is really the case for any type of birth control pill, although it becomes more important for progesterone-only pills. On the first seven days of taking the pill, you will also need an additional form of contraception, such as condoms, to prevent pregnancy. After this, the Pill should work on it’s own for birth control, but condoms will still be necessary for stopping the spread of STIs. If you forget to take your Pill one day, you won’t be protected against pregnancy and will need to use a backup form of birth control, or stop having sex for a while. If you find your Pill comes with side effects – such as irregular menstrual bleeding, mood changes, blood clots, nausea, headaches, dizziness, and breast tenderness – speak to your doctor, who may prescribe a different brand of the Pill.

Categories: birth, Birth Control, control, control pill, day pack, mini pill, Pill, prevent pregnancy, preventing pregnancy, Side Effects, The pill

Everything You Need to Know about The Birth Control Patch

Taking care of your sexual health and wellness means using protection whenever you have sex. While a lot of women turn to the Pill to prevent pregnancy, some find that this adversely affects their wellbeing, while others simply forget to take the Pill on a daily basis, meaning it won’t do its job. If this applies to you, it may be time to consider the birth control patch.

 

The Patch is small, square and beige, so it’s not totally obvious. It sticks to your skin and releases hormones into your bloodstream that prevent you from becoming pregnant. Through a combination of the hormones progesterone and oestrogen, the Patch stops you from ovulating, or releasing an egg from your ovaries during your monthly cycle. As you are already aware, a sperm needs to meet an egg in order to create a baby and so, if your partner’s swimmers get up there and there’s no egg waiting, they’ll have nothing to fertilise. Another way the Patch protects you from unwanted pregnancies is by thickening the mucus that your cervix produces. This makes it tricky for sperm to enter and reach any eggs that may have been released. Plus, the hormones can also affect the lining of your uterus, meaning that even if the egg is released AND fertilised, it will still have difficulty attaching to the wall of the uterus.

 

You use the Patch as you would other birth control methods that use hormones, such as the birth control pill or ring; based on your mothly menstrual cycle. On the first day of your cycle, or the first Sunday after your cycle begins, you put on the patch and change it once a week for three weeks in the row. You should apply the patch to one of four areas. You either put it on your abdomen, bum, upper arm or somewhere on your upper torso as long as you don’t put it on your breasts. On week four, you don’t wear the patch at all, and this allows you to have your period. To ensure that it keeps working effectively, it’s absolutely vital that you apply a new patch on the same day every week. If you apply your first patch on a Monday, for example, you should always apply your patches on a Monday.

 

When it comes to changing your patches, make sure you always pull the old one off first before you apply the new one. You should place the new patch on a different area from the old patch, still remembering to place it on one of the four recommended areas listed above. This is to avoid irritating your skin and, for the same reason, you shouldn’t apply the patch to skin that is red, irritated, or cut. Moreover, during the first week of wearing the patch, it is strongly recommended that you also use another form of contraception to prevent pregnancy. If, at any time, your patch becomes loose and falls off, or you forget to put it on at the right time, you should read the instructions that come in the package or call your doctor. You may need to use a different method of birth control – such as condoms – or stop having sex for a while to protect against pregnancy.

 

If, for any reason, you decide to stop using the patch, you will need to begin using another method of birth control, usually after 24 hours of removing your last patch. You don’t need to take off your patch when participating in regular activities like swimming and exercise, and you can also get it wet in the shower or bath. In fact, you shouldn’t take off your patch until the week is over. You may be tempted to re-position or move your patch, but this may cause it to lose some of its stickiness and make it fall off more easily. You should apply a replacement patch if the patch does not stick well, apply a replacement patch.

Categories: apply, birth, Birth Control, control, control patch, hormones, patch, prevent pregnancy, replacement patch, The Patch, week