Study examines parents feelings on birth control for teens

 

In the fight against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), it's important for health officials to focus on younger Americans. That's because teens and young adults account for half of all new STI cases each year, which suggests that this population is not practicing safer sex. Parents play a key role in preventing STIs in young adults, since not all schools provide comprehensive sexual education. Recently, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health set out to determine what forms of birth control parents feel most comfortable having a doctor offer to their teenage daughters.

"Among U.S. adolescents, rates of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections remain high," said lead author Lauren Hartman, M.D. "Despite increased use of contraceptives by adolescents in the last twenty years, effective methods are still underused and too many sexually active teens do not use condoms{.}"

The researchers discovered that parents are more accepting of short-term birth control options such as condoms or birth control pills, rather than longer-lasting methods such as an injectable contraceptive or intrauterine devices (IUDs). While this is positive news in the fight against STIs, since condoms are highly effective in preventing the transmission of sexual diseases, long-term methods may do more to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

The greatest indicator of whether a parent would be accepting of their daughter being offered birth control was recognition of their teen's autonomy. The researchers added that doctors can use these findings to educate parents about the benefits of long-term birth control methods. One potential reason that some parents feel uncomfortable about these options is that they may believe that giving teens an IUD or injectable contraceptive will encourage ongoing sexual activity.

It's important for parents to stress to their teens that while many birth control methods may effectively combat pregnancy, only male and female condoms help prevent the transmission of STIs.