Teen Pregnancies, STD’s, and Their Consequences Allison Dry COM/220 July 21, 2010 Camisha Williams Teen Pregnancies, STD’s, and Their Consequences Remember being a teenager and the cool thing to do was to smoke cigarettes? Or to act like you were with the candy sticks that had the red tips on them? Well now we all know that smoking is not the cool thing to do, but now there is something new that everyone thinks is the cool thing to do. Teen pregnancies are a big issue right now. 1/3 of women are pregnant before the age of 20(Livestrong , 2010).
Pregnancy rates have changed drastically over the years. Teenagers are marrying and raising children at a young age was accepted in and around the 1920s. Later it was accepted to be in their 20s or even 30s can marry and raise children of their own. Present time, it seems to be going reverse to how it was in the 1920s when teenagers and adults had no fine line between who was once even to be considered an adult and did not know what “too young to have children” genuinely was. Teenagers are able to marry very young and raising children young as well.
These young teenagers that marry and raise children are a disappointment to the older men and women who were not raised the same way that children are now. Some teenagers may even have more than one baby as a teen. Statistics show that if women have a baby when they are in their teen years that they will not attend college until they are well into their thirties. When people read or hear a statistic that drastic and over powering that it brings them back into reality and helps make a mental picture of how life existing in actuality is.
Teenagers raising children young, also means that teenagers are receiving STD’s young too. Preventing teen or unwanted pregnancies is a very simple task and anyone can accomplish this. After reading the statistic that 1/3 of women get pregnant before the age of 20(Livestrong. com, 2009), readers, including myself, begin to realize the importance of taking precautions to prevent more unwanted pregnancies from happening. To prevent unplanned and unnecessary pregnancies there are multiple different types of contraceptives teenagers and adults can use.
The pill is the most basic birth control every woman can use. Although many women are switching to the Mirena and Nuva Ring, which is to be inserted, and releases hormones into the bloodstream. The Nuva Ring or Mirena can be much easier to use then taking a pill every day. Taking a pill each day can be very stressful if accidently miss taking one a day, so then it may not be working properly. Many teenagers that may be taking the precautions and taking birth control, may not be taking it properly.
If the pill is not took properly then she is also risking an unwanted pregnancy. If women are taking the birth control pill they must take the pill regularly around the same time every day, to get the full effect of the birth control. Women must take birth control properly to get the best results. Many teenagers are not thinking of all of the risks of unprotected sex and how much easier it is to go to the doctor and get birth control to prevent anything unwanted to happen.
Also may be some teenagers that may be participating in sexual activities but do not want to confront them about it, Those teenagers can always go to their local health department and normally the providers can set up a plan with her for getting birth control without charge or a low price each month confidentially. Teenagers are afraid to confront their parents, especially their dads, about their sex lives and are afraid of what they may say and how they may react. Parents need to be very supportive in that topic area for their children and always let them know that they can come to them when they need to and to avoid intimidation.
Preventing pregnancy is a very easy task and can be done with a little help from friends, school counselors, school nurses, et cetera. Teens should not want to risk raising children at such a young age because it can be very stressful, and as a teenager, one of the main priorities should be the need to focus on homework, family, friends, work, et cetera. Not dating boys and avoiding pregnancy scares because of not being protected. Statistics show that 1/3 of teenagers also have or have had an Sexually Transmitted Disease(Saviodsalva, 2010).
That is a good majority of teenagers! Just think about the high school in the town or city where all the children are going to, or went to that 1/3 of them have or have had an STD. That seems a little scary to myself! Teenagers may not realize how serious an Sexually Transmitted Disease(STD) can be. With at least 25 STD’s received or given someone else(Avert. org, 2010). Most of them are recognized as sexually transmitted disease because people can receive them during sexual activity. Also an STI(Sexually Transmitted Infection) considered the same thing as an STD.
An Sexually Transmitted Infection(STI) is more noticeable today because many of the infections, such as Chlamydia is an infection people can get rid of and is not a disease, such as herpes, or HIV. The most common STD is Herpes or HIV. Those are also a couple of the worst that people can receive because humans cannot get rid of them and HIV is fatal. Once had heard an interesting fact watching the Tyra Show, and Tyra stated that, “Someone with an STD is as common as someone with red hair. ” I found that very interesting because someone with red hair is quite common.
STDs can be prevented by using birth control or contraceptives, such as the pill or even using a condom. Once people get an STD, it is not irreversible, also can ruin their lives. Teens should not want to get an STD at such a young age just for one “fun night. ” Just having sex one-time can be a huge mess up in life if teens get an STD. It can happen by just having sex one-time to receive an STD or to get impregnated. Some teens need to know that it can happen to them and that it can happen to everyone. As a Junior in high school experiencing and discovering about the pregnancy on November 18, 2008.
No crying, not even once but was not going around acting like it was the best thing, either. Feeling like every one may ridicule myself, if people knew about the pregnancy, so mainly kept it to thyself. Although it did not take every one long to notice, living in a small town, rumors spread fast. If someone knows a secret, then those people believes it is okay to tell everyone, so it takes a week for the entire town to discover something that is not really THAT big of a deal and is not his or hers business to share. If it would have been until the pregnancy started taking its toll, no one would have known until six or seven months along!
The older women who saw me in public always stared at myself in a negative way many times. The older women would say phrases such as, “Kids are going around having kids. ” That would never get to myself, knowing that it does not matter what others think. None of the older women would have thought to themselves that just maybe, myself being pregnant at that age, is not the best thing to do or have happen. The older women never once thought maybe the pregnant teenagers know that they had made a mistake. Some teenagers need help by others and make sure they know that it is not something that anyone should want.
When pregnant there are many have a large amount of sacrifices to make. For example, say that some teens may be cheerleaders or in any sports then they will have to stop doing those things as well because they do not want to risk the baby’s life, for fun activities. Pregnant women cannot run, or if pregnant women do run, then they must keep it at a steady pace, to avoid injuring the baby or the mother. The high school staff does not want it to be their responsibility to have to make sure their heart rate is not getting up to high to, in which it could harm the baby.
The mothers responsibility as a mother of the child to make sure the baby take care of the baby. Pregnancy makes it harder to get up in the morning for school and doing homework they give because of being exhausted. Going to school in which she will get questioned by many. Some teenagers think they will like the attention, and they may, but knowing that myself did not like the attention whatsoever. Also heard that some high schools are putting a daycare INSIDE their high school. That seems a little ridiculous to myself. Only shows how terrible this situation really is.
Statistics show that teenage mothers are more than 2/3 of them drop out of high school. (Dr. Phil, 2010) With that, it makes the feeling of amazement because completing high school a semester earlier than everyone else in my class to be home with my son. Also did very well senior year and completed with all A’s. Normally received A’s, B’s, and a couple C’s here and there. Many people have different circumstances though, having to drop out and get their GED later is their only option. Fully support anyone who gets her high school diploma or a GED after having a baby during high school.
That is an amazing task that some teenagers have accomplished. Living as one of those teenagers, definitely would have to say that it is not as easy as it may seem, and it takes patience, hard work, a massive amount of time, and dedication to succeed through high school with a child. As a teen mother, and knowing many activities and personal wants or needs that may or must be sacrifice and go through having a child at such a young age. Going through high school and college with a child is not the easiest thing to do, but it is not impossible.
Many of my friends say that they think my accomplishment is a great deal and should believe the same from the achievements that I have done and completed, even though having a baby in high school. As well as thinking of the accomplishments, also have learned so much from going through everything that will always and am still going through. Another thing that some teenagers go through during high school would be receiving STD’s. Going through that would be very depressing knowing that everyone in high school WILL discover the bad news. Especially in a small town such as Wellington, Kansas that, which is my current residence.
From maturing very much after all of this and will continue to grow and become the woman thy mother wanted to see myself as. The teen pregnancy rate in the United States is not something to be proud of, and everyone needs to do something about it to make this country better. Not only one person can change the whole world, but each person who does speak up and says something to teenagers, whether it be speaking at his or her high school, going door to door and talking with adults, or maybe a fundraiser to go toward charities that may be trying to help prevent this.
Also writing to the president and telling him about the town you reside from and all of the teen pregnancies, abortions, et cetera could help. If EVERY person went and one of those things, it would help this country grow stronger and bring everyone closer as one. Currently raised to believe that without everyone else’s help, something this big cannot and will not have a solution, but having faith that someday all of the teenagers will realize the importance to all of this information. Teenage sex, drinking, partying, et cetera is not the cool thing to do. Everyone must have faith that there is a solution, just no one has found it yet.
