Unintended Pregnancy

Unintended pregnancy is something I know very much about, I had an unintended pregnancy at the age of 19.  Never in my wildest dream did I think it would happen to me, I knew the consequences of an intimate relationship, but at my age, I was invincible.  While I was sitting with my OB/GYN my options were discussed, and at that time there weren’t all these different ways to deal with an unintended pregnancy, you either had the baby or had an abortion, but abortions were not as “easy” as they are today.  Pills were not given and 10 minute procedures were not around, there was intense bleeding and pain and there was a very real chance that the reproductive organs could be damaged and the patient could never have children later in life.                I chose to have my child and I bless each day that I have her, but not all young women can easily make that decision and with advances in medicine they have more options than ever before.  I was amazed over this past week when I went to Planned Parenthood with a staff member, who is alone, we went over the many options that she had and she was educated in the different ways she could choose her way.  I am not saying that I agree with her choice or the choices of the other women that were in the waiting room, but the idea that they had many options is what I was impressed with.                The contraceptives offered to young adults, presently allow for options based on what fits their needs.  Teen pregnancy is prevalent in the nation and with recently approved long acting contraceptives for adolescents there are ways to help teens be more responsible with intimate relationships.  Intrauterine devices and implants are the choice for the main line of contraception for all women including the young adults.  Currently prescriptions for contraceptives show that the main choice is pills for young adults, some feel it is due to barriers of knowledge and cost (K. McKellen, 2018).  Nurse practitioners will be at the forefront of providing education to their patients, helping reduce the number of teen pregnancies and ensuring that all their patients have access to them.  According to a 2015 survey, only 3.3% of adolescents are using LARC’s for their last sexual encounter.  What has been found through this study was that the type of contraceptive chosen by the patient was directly based on the type of provider they see (S. Dixon, 2018).  Again, this is where nurse practitioners will be vital in aiding how teens and their parents view the use of LARC’s. How do you personally feel about youth and LARC’s?ReferencesMcKellen, e. a. (2018). The Latest in Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Long-Acting Reversible       Contraception. The Journal of Pediatric Medicine, e91-e97.Dixon, e. a. (2018). What Do Parents Know and Believe About LARC Use in Teens?       Journal of Adolescent Health, S37-S140.