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​​ ** How does getting pregnant at a young age affect a teen's life? How can it be prevented? **  Teen Pregnancy

What do you think of when you here a teen is pregnant? You think something along the lines of “Wow! That girl is very promiscuous, she must sleep around a lot!” But you really shouldn’t jump to conclusions and should consider the feelings of the teen mom. The poor girl is going to be going through the hardest thing she probably has ever had to deal with and feels bad enough without having people talk about her. Teen pregnancy is a big problem and teens need to be informed better on ways to prevent it. Not only does it affect a girls physical appearance and social life but it also affects them emotionally.

= = = = = = = = =Causes of Teen Pregnancy =

Many teens don’t realize the consequences of their actions whether it’s not doing their homework or choosing to go to party where there is alcohol and drugs. When it comes to sex teens don’t think about what the effects would be if they don’t use a condom or another form of birth control. Not only could they possibly get an STD but they can also become pregnant. There are many reasons that cause teens to have sex instead of waiting until they are either married or older. Being raised in a family that is poor and lives in a poor neighborhood or that only have one parent are usually the teens who end up getting pregnant, (Byers 10). Some teenagers have sex because they get bad grades in school. According to the book //Teens and Pregnancy// “When their grades are low, teens do not feel good about themselves. They turn to actives at which they can succeed (such as sex)”. These teens get a bad education and do not get as many rules as other teens which led to things like getting pregnant or getting arrested. In addition to that when teens come from poor families they have less money to be able to spend on forms of birth control and not having birth control most of the time does not stop teens from having sex, (Byers 12). Other things that cause teens to have sex at young ages are sexual abuse, drinking and drugs. Teen girls that were sexually abused as a child feel that by saying no to sex they are telling the boy they don't like them because after being abused they believe that in order to show their feeling they need to have sex, (Byers 25-25). These girls that were abused when they were little have low self-esteem and usually end up growing up to be a teen that always has sex because they feel like it's okay. Another big factor that causes teens having sex is when they have been drinking or doing drugs. When teenagers go to parties where there is alcohol, drugs and older males it can lead to getting pregnant. Teens have a hard time knowing what the right thing to do is when under the influence; they do not realize what the end result could be. Not only does the drugs and alcohol shade their decision making skills but being around older guys can sway a teen's conscious and cause them to have sex when they normally would say no. Alcohol is a huge factor in teen pregnancy because "Alcohol is involved in about one fourth of all adolescent intercourse," (Byers 25).

= Effects of Teen Pregnancy = There are many reasons that Teen Pregnancy is bad, not only for the mother, but for the child too. For the mother carrying and delivering the baby can cause many problems because the mother is not fully developed. According to the book //Teens and Pregnancy, "// The younger a women is, the greater the chance she will be anemic, have high blood pressure, and have a premature or extra long labor," ( Byers 9). When a baby is born from a teen mother a number of things can go wrong, if they are born at a very little weight they might not have organs that have delveloped all the way. Babies that are born with undeveloped lungs or born with complications in the heart, lungs ext. are more likely to die within a month of birth. Not only does being born from a young mother cause complications, but also having a mother who drinks, smokes or even doesn't eat enough can led to many problems with the baby, ( Byers 9-10). On top of the health issues that teen pregnancy can cause there are also economic problems. "...only thirty percent of girls who become  pregnancy before age 18 will earn a high-school diploma by the age of 30," (Hurley). Teens who get pregnant usually end up dropping out of school in order to care of the baby and to pay for the bills. By not staying in school these teens make it very hard to find a well paying job with low education needed and must resort to the low paying jobs, (Byers 10). Being born to a teenage mother has many disadvantages to the baby because usually when you are born into a family with uneducated parents, the children of those parents normally end up not being very educated either.

= Prevention = As we all know there are many ways to prevent pregnancy, but what everyone might not know is that using a form of birth control is always a 100% effective. The only form of birth control that is the best choice and the most effective is abstinence. Not having sex is the best decision for teens to make because not only should you wait until you are older but you will also keep yourself safe from STD's and getting pregnant. If you have already decided that you ARE going to have sex then you must chose a form of birth control that is easy for you to use in order to not get pregnant. There are many forms of contraceptives that can be purchased, here are some examples: Implant, pill, condom, diaphragm, cervical cap, spermicides, female condom, withdrawal method and more. Out of all the options out there, there must be one that is suitable for you because one easy thing can prevent a horrible outcome of becoming pregnant at a young age, (Byers 48-51). On top of using a contraceptive staying away from drugs and drinking will help you be able to make the decision for yourself and have self-control; hopefully will help you make the right decision. = = = = ​

= = = Impact on Teens Life = Teen pregnancy can ruin a person's life but a lot of the time it can also make it better in some ways. Having a baby can make a teens life pleasurably, and filled with love. Unfortunately, a lot of times it can cause many problems in the mother, father and their families lives. Some mothers end up having to be single mothers, forced to work more than one job to support her child and herself. These teens have to spend a long, hard day and work and also feed, change and entertain the baby. They also have to wake up with the babies in the middle of the night and stay up with them until they fall back asleep, while still having to wake up very early in the morning for either work and school, (Hurley). The teenage mothers and father also have to give up their childhood and teenage years to take care of the baby. While normal teenagers are out with their friends or playing a sport or doing homework teenage parents are feeding, changing, playing with and putting to bed their child. Teenage parents miss out on so much in high school, not only do they miss playing sports and going to sports but they even miss dances and having the chance to be crowned prom queen or king. Most teenagers don't realize how one decision, on one night, at one party can change their lives FOREVER! (Hurley).

= Conclusion = Everyone has their own view and opinion on teen's having sex and also on teen pregnancy. Some people believe that all teens should have abortions others believe the baby should be kept and either raised by the mother or put up for adoption. But the real problem isn't what to do after the fact; it is what to do before to prevent it and to inform teenagers the consequence s of their actions. Getting pregnant at a young age and being a teen mom and sometimes even a single teen mom is a very hard thing to do. Having to provide for your family, take care of your child, take care of yourself, take care of your home and try to have a life of your own is a challenging task to do. Teen parents lose out on their childhood and most drop out of high school and never make it to college. These teens not only miss out on their teen life but also miss out on their lifelong dreams. Teens need to be better informed about the many different ways to prevent pregnant and all the ways to say no to sex. I'm not going to get pregnant....are you!? = =

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= For more information...Here are a few websites: = To get informed about teen pregnancy and STDs check out this website.. [] For facts/ statistics about teen sexuality check out this website [] To hear 10 tips about teenage pregnancy go to this website [] For facts and risks about teenage pregnancy check out this website [] For information about children who have children check out this website [] For parents worried about teen pregnancy check out this website for 10 tips.. []

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= Works Cited =

Benfer, Amy. “My life as a Teenage Mom.” //Contemporary Issues Companion: Teens and Sex Ed.// David E. Nelson. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.// Web. 29 Jan. 2010. . Berg, Barbara J. //The Women's Movement and Young Women Today A Hot Issue (Hot Issues)//. New York: Enslow, 2000. Print. Hurley, Jennifer A. "Pregnancy Harms Teens' Lives." //Opposing Viewpoints Digests: Teen Pregnancy Ed.// San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Web.// 1 Feb. 2010. .