Teen sexuality and teen pregnancy are ever present issues that are marked by the fact that there is plenty of confusion regarding teen sexual knowledge and sexual orientation.

Teens are confused, they want to experiment, that is all ok, but some teens are easily swayed into doing things they would never do by themselves. Each and every teen needs to feel safe and secure in his own sexuality, that is the only way to be safe and to have a healthy sexual life. Unfortunately it is hard for teens to feel comfortable with their own sexuality due to the mass media and peer pressure.

If you are wondering what being comfortable with one’s sexuality means you are not the only one. Some teens misinterpret that and go for homophobic megalomania while it means that you need to know, to discover, who you are and what you are comfortable with. In other words, knowing what you want, how you want it and also where you want it, everything regarding your sexual life and your sexual appetite needs to be clear to you. That also goes for homosexuality, you need to feel comfortable with it, if you are just experimenting that is one thing, but if doesn’t feel comfortable you are on the right track to eliminate that thought, or if it feels comfortable and natural you have found your sexuality.

You also need to be clear not to mistake your own sexuality and your own desires with others people as well as trying not to impose your opinions, sexuality and wishes onto others. If you see and feel that another person is not comfortable with your desires that is an obvious sign that you should stop and respect their wishes. Healthy sexuality is all about feeling comfortable with yourself and your partner, and your partner feeling comfortable with you as well. Otherwise that can easily turn into unwanted sex or rape.

Teen sexuality can be a tough topic for most, sexual orientation is still taboo for older people, and even masturbation is considered taboo in some circles, not to mention oral sex. You are the one that has to feel comfortable and you are the one that has to be careful, not the people around you that may be judging you. But with sexual freedom comes the sexual responsibility, you have to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases and one other thing that is on the rise in the US.

We are of course talking about teen pregnancy which has been on the steady increase since 2005. Most teens are not ready to become parents, and by doing so most teens give away their future and their children’s future as well.

Teen sexuality and teen freedom come with great responsibility, so don’t take them lightly.

Teen pregnancy is an ever present issue in the world, with the US being at the top with almost 1,000,000 teen pregnancies each year. The teen birth rate was falling down until 2005 and since then it has shown a steady increase making it again a troublesome issue. The effects of teenage pregnancy are many, most of them due to the fact that a low number of future teen mothers ask for parental care or delay it until the last moment. That is backed up by the fact that 85% of all teen pregnancies are unplanned, and over 7% of them receives no care at all.

In most cases this is due to the fear of their parents and family accepting the fact that their teens are pregnant, these kids are afraid to tell their parents. Not only that, some teens live in denial about their pregnancy until it is too late. Most teens unfortunately don’t know that each state has one or more health care institutions that provide very affordable care with guaranteed confidentiality.

Since there is no parental care teen mothers are at great risk. In most cases they fail to get enough nutrients which don’t only lowers their health but it creates a significant risk for the baby as well as a high chance of low birth weight. For those that don’t know, low birth rate is associated with high rate of infant mortality and childhood disorders. In some cases these babies have partially developed organs and in most cases that results in brain bleeding, intestinal problems as well as respiratory problems. 

Children of teen mothers often receive fewer nutrients than needed, they don’t have proper health care, and they lack proper social and cognitive stimulation, all of that can result in the possibility of underdeveloped intellect.

Effects of teenage pregnancy are not just pointed towards the health of the mother and the baby, these teens are far more likely to end up poor and have their children grow up in poverty. That results in increased risk of health issues, higher abuse rates, neglect, low academic achievement, and also leads to a repeated cycle of teen pregnancy. Also leads to inappropriate parenting as these teens were not yet ready to become parents, as such their children are more likely to engage in criminal activities, acts of delinquency, and have failed relationships.

Teen mothers usually never finish high school, let alone enter a college, so the lower level of education doesn’t allow them to get a proper job or be prepared for the parenting that is ahead of them. Their career options are more than limited.

The risk factors for teenage pregnancy are poverty, low school performance, having a mother who gave birth as a teen, single parenting household etc.… Another effect of teenage pregnancy is the social effect on the entire country, and financial. Teen pregnancies are becoming a great burden on the public health as well. But on the other hand, teens that talk to their parents in the beginning and take care of their pregnancy the right way mostly finish high school and end up becoming good parents. In the end the effects of teenage pregnancy are still far too many for us to recognize all of them and address each one in full.
 

Teen abortion is on the rise since 2005, which is followed by the fact that teen pregnancy has been on the rise in the last 5 years. Abortion on its own has risks, but teen abortion has even more risks that we will mention here in this article. We know that there are risks of teen abortion, in the worst case scenario even death can occur.

Abortion is the 5th leading cause of maternity related deaths in the IS. In most cases they are caused by various forms of infections, hemorrhage, embolism, ectopic pregnancies that manage to go undetected and even anesthesia. This is just when we look at the number of legal abortions; the actual number is much higher as there are plenty of reported abortions each year.

Among alarming teen abortion facts is the report that teens that had an abortion on their first pregnancy in the first trimester of the pregnancy have a twice higher risk of developing breast cancer. With each abortion a woman has the risk of cervical cancer increases exponentially, stats show that the risk increases from first abortion of 2.3 to 4.92 with the second abortion, and progressively increases with each new abortion. So far there is no knowledge of what actually results in cancer possibility increase, the research so far has shown that it is related to hormonal imbalances caused by the abortion.

One of the major concerns about teen abortion is the increase in cervical lacerations and uterine perforations. Around 3% of all women that undergo an abortion experience uterine perforations at one point, that number is higher for teenagers. Both of these can later cause major problems during pregnancy, they can lead to premature birth or even inability to conceive.

There are many other unwanted effects that teen abortion brings, most of which later influence the fertility of a woman. One of such is placenta previa which is increased by almost 15% with an abortion. This is a life threatening issue that can threaten the life of both the mother and the baby during the pregnancy.

There are many other risks surrounding teen abortion, complications such as excessive bleeding, infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, endotoxic shocks, convulsions, fevers, chronic abdominal pain, hemorrhage and gastrointestinal disturbances.

Teen abortion is a very serious issue, according to these teen abortion facts each teen that undergoes an abortion is increasing many health risks including complications regarding reproductive organs and other life threatening diseases.
 

Teen sex education is regular in most schools, but even so it seems that teens either don’t pay attention or the education is not up to the task. There are over 100,000 teen pregnancy Q&A asked each month, which shows that teens are interested in certain things about pregnancy but have no one else to ask or another place to find out. The anonymity of the internet gives them the opportunity to get answers to their questions, so here is the Q&A about teen pregnancy chosen among the questions with highest number each month.

Q: How do I get pregnant?
A: In order to get pregnant a girl needs to have a sexual intercourse, which means genital penetration.
Q: What will cause and what won’t cause pregnancy.
A: Intercourse will get you pregnant, even with protection there is a risk of getting pregnant.
To answer all the teen questions these are the things that won’t get you pregnant: dancing, holding hands, kissing, making out, making out in a pool, oral sex, touching genitals with your hands.
Q: Does birth control make me safe?
A: Not 100%, the only form of 100% safe measure is abstinence. Although birth control has a high success of doing its job it relies heavily on proper use, which is the number one reason why birth control fails, not being properly used.
Q: What is the best form of birth control besides abstinence?
A: The number one birth control so far is condom use; it will prevent the chances of you getting pregnant as well as protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. Even if you use other forms of birth control it is recommended to wear a condom.
Q: Can I get pregnant with oral sex?
A: We already answered that one, but no, there is no way you can get pregnant with oral sex.
Q: Is it possible to get pregnant without penetration?
A: In theory yes, female genitals in contact with sperm can lead to pregnancy, but this is extremely rare, however, there is a great risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
Q: Can I get pregnant if a boy ejaculates sperm into a pool?
A: No, sperm can’t travel through water and you can’t get pregnant that way.
Q: Can I prevent getting pregnant after having intercourse?
A: Yes, you can use an after pill in the next 72 hours, but they have a high risk of causing a hormonal imbalance so they should be used only by prescription from your doctor.
Q: Do after pills have any side effects?
A: Yes, there are known side effects that can happen when using an after pill; they can include anything from nausea and vomiting to blood clotting, breast tenderness and hormonal imbalance.
Q: How do I know that I am pregnant?
A: You can take the pregnancy test or visit your doctor, but early signs of pregnancy include missed periods, thick vaginal discharges, headaches and nausea, sudden vomiting urges, breast pain, strong reactions to certain smells, and of course food cravings.
 

We are all aware that teen pregnancy is a serious issue we deal with every day. But not all of us know that US is the leading country in the world with teen pregnancy. US have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world; just looking at the teen pregnancy statistics can give you a heart attack. We are talking about real at risk youth; the ones that simply fail to hear all the warnings and refuse all the education, some due to lack of guidance, some due to social factors and from many other reasons.

Just looking at the basics teen pregnancy statistics will shed light on this issue.

-    Around 700,000 teens between ages 17 and 19 become pregnant each year in the US.
-    A small number of these teens, a very small number, actually planned on getting pregnant. Over 80% of all teen pregnancies are unplanned and teen pregnancy account for 20% of all unplanned pregnancies each year.
-    Luckily, two thirds of all teen pregnancies occur with older teens ages 18 and 19.
-    Teen pregnancy and teen mothers account for 10% of total US pregnancies each year.
-    Abortion rate is high, but the total number of pregnancies resulting in birth is higher, 57% and 14% of all teen pregnancies end with a miscarriage.
-    That leads to 29% of all teen pregnancies ending with an abortion.
-    Among all ethnicities African American teens have the highest teen pregnancy rate. The numbers of teens that get pregnant per 1,000 teens are as follows, 134 African Americans will get pregnant, 131 Hispanic teens will get pregnant and 48 Caucasians will get pregnant out of 1,000.
-    Research shows that teens that do get pregnant are less likely to enter college. The number of teen mothers that are finishing high school has improved over the years, but the number of teen mothers that goes on to finish a college is still amazingly low.
-    We already said that US teen pregnancy rates are much higher than the rest of the world. Compared to other ell developed countries US have twice as high teen pregnancy rates than England and Canada and eight times higher than Japan and Netherlands.
-    Since 1991 teen pregnancy rates started declining, and they were in decline until 2005, but since then they are on a constant rise. Teen pregnancy rates were highest in 1990 with 117 pregnancies per 1,000 teens. In 2002 that number fell from 117 to 75 per 1,000, but since 2005 until now there has been a steady 3% increase each year.

As you can see teen pregnancy statistics show that we have a rising issue on our hands again. Since 2005 the number of teen pregnancies has increased, which is exactly why our government is trying to improve the sex education based on gender, ethnicity, age and social factors.
 

Teen pregnancy is appearing as a rising problem once more. From 1992 to 2005 the number of pregnant teens was falling, but since 2006 onwards the number is on the rise again. The question is how to get it falling again, the answer is still the same, sexual education. Teenagers need to be aware of the consequences of teenage pregnancy and they also need to be aware how to avoid getting pregnant.

teen pregnancy

Unfortunately for some the number of teenagers having sexual relations is rising even more, which is the number one reason why we must educate our children. Teen pregnancy is not the only concern here; there are numerous sexually transmitted diseases that we need to worry about. So the first thing is education a child about sexual responsibility. Sexual education is a must for teens; they need to be informed so they could avoid any form of bad sexual behavior. They need to know how to use contraceptives; the basic knowledge of protecting themselves is a must. They need to be aware of the consequences, there are numerous risks for the health of teen mother, not to mention the fact that 1 out of 4 teen mothers gives birth to a second child in the next two years.

But all of that is just a start of teenager’s problems. Every pregnant teen will freak out finding out about the pregnancy, most of those cases lead to teen depression. Teen depression can be treated, but like with everything else, parents need to be aware of the situation and lend a helping hand. As a parent you need to understand your child, 99% of teenagers will be disappointed about the fact that they are pregnant as much as you will. Being pregnant at that age means all of their dream are shattered, that is the time when a parent must be a rational adult that will give everything to help his child in need.

It’s not like we are all experts in teen problems and teen pregnancy, so for families that don’t feel capable of dealing with the situation there are numerous institutions that will help you. In fact, no matter how confident you may feel, going to a professional institution that is dealing with teen pregnancy and related issues is a warmly recommended idea.

In the end the best defense is offense, so preventing something like teen pregnancy from happening is the best course of action. The people that should be educated are not just your children; you also need to be educated and aware of teenage problems and how to deal with them. Successfully education yourself together with your teen child is the best course of action to prevent any possible teen problems that might occur in the future.

Although some teenagers equals sex with love, there are still many of them that believes that sex is not necessarily the expression of commitment. They know that making sex a casual thing will expose them to a lot of serious consequences. These kids are fortunate enough to be educated and rise above the following misconception:

* All teenagers definitely have sex
* Having sex is part of being adults
* If your not having sex by 17-19, there’s something wrong
* A girl can’t get pregnant during menstruation
* You can’t get pregnant on your first time

When children grow from being very little to being “adults.” They often believe that they are also entitled to most adult experiences, particularly sex. It is not very surprising that the interest on the matter has made impression on kids. Who can blame them somehow? There is the television, movies and the Internet, making sex very accessible. Wanting to engage in sex become more and more strong because of the media. Thus, teenagers are at risk from AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Sometimes teenagers have a hard time determining what they are feeling. As parents, you probably know when kids are bit disappointed, irritated, or tired. Of course, these feelings are natural, but expressing them need to be channeled. This is the part when parents step in and help the teen kids deal with the problem. It is about teaching them how to identify the cause, determining the emotional extent, and then finding ways for proper responses.

Losing or failure is one of the things that teenagers have a hard time coping, or at least for some of them. There are kids who could manage to sulk for about 30 minutes about a certain situation. Others, on the other hand, could not really take it and eventually they don’t know how to deal with it. This frustration could last for days or weeks. If this happens, parents should be ready to help their kids deal with the situation as well as their emotions. The point is, teenagers should learn to accept failure.