Pediatricians Advising Teens About Emergency Contraceptives

Posted by in Healthcare


While teenage pregnancy rates have reached a three-decade low, down by 40 percent since 1990, the fact remains that the US teen pregnancy rate is the highest in developed countries, with seven percent of all US teenage girls getting pregnant every year. According to the CDC, 40 percent of teens don’t use a condom, and that an alarming number of teens still use no contraception whatsoever.
 

The American Academy of Pediatrics  (AAP) is determined to reverse these trends with new recommendations on emergency contraception. It suggests pediatricians add frank discussions about next-day birth control medications such as Plan B and Next Choice to talks of abstinence, condom use and traditional birth control measures.
 

First introduced in the 1970s, several prescription and over-the-counter emergency contraceptives have since been approved for teen use. The problem has been that many teens and their parents are either unaware they exist or harbor unfounded fears about using them. Emergency contraceptives like Plan B work by inhibiting ovulation and disrupting the production of key cells a woman needs to conceive. These products work best if taken up to 24 hours after unprotected intercourse. They are available for all patients who have a prescription and can be purchased over the counter for girls over the age of 17. 
 

Dr. Cora Beurner, a professor of adolescent medicine and pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, notes that the AAP has suggested doctors keep emergency contraception readily available for teens who need a prescription for Plan B or Next Choice for future use. “They can keep the prescription in their wallet and if they have the need for it, they could go anywhere," Beurner said. "This is a ‘just-in-case.'" AAP advises patients and pediatricians that emergency contraception should only be used for emergencies and not as a regular contraceptive.
 

AAP’s new policy statement suggests that doctors provide teens with levonorgestrel 1.5 mg.—sold as Plan B, Plan B One Step, or Next Choice—since no pregnancy test is required before use as with some other forms. Teens 18 and over can get levonorgestrel 1.5 mg. With something this important, cost shouldn’t be a factor. Dr. Breuner indicated that the cost of emergency contraception is about $80, with some clinics charging on a sliding scale based on ability to pay.
 

While the use of emergency contraception has no serious side effects, Dr. Beurner noted that parents often have reservations that a these pills will increase a teen’s risky behavior. Studies have shown no correlation between emergency contraception use and increased sexual activity. In a statement that’s sure to raise the ire of religious groups, the AAP added that pediatricians have an obligation to offer emergency contraception to their patients—even if they are morally against this approach. AAP advises pediatrics to provide teens with greater access to the emergency contraception, regardless of age, and to promote insurance coverage of emergency birth control.
 

Dr. Jill Maura Rabin, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Hofstra North Shore (LIJ School of Medicine),  notes that emergency contraception awareness is up among pediatricians. ''The timing is good, because I think we need a reminder on the topic," says Rabin. "We still have pharmacies uncomfortable filling the prescription [for teens]."
 

How do you feel about emergency contraception? About prescribing them to teens under 17? Do your moral convictions outweigh unwanted pregnancies for these young girls?
 

Photo courtesy of MorgueFile.com

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  • Alex Kecskes
    Alex Kecskes
    Thank you for your comments. Teen pregnancy is a problem  that must be addressed by parents, educators, counselors and family physicians.  
  • Robert S.
    Robert S.
    I hope and pray that our society can put this proverbial genie back in the bottle.  After relatively easy contraceptive methods were developed, it gave the green light for people to have intercourse out of wedlock and began to change society for the worse, in my opinion.The problem isn't how to stop teen pregnancies AFTER the teen couple has sex, but to stop teen pregnancies BEFORE they have sex.  I would advocate that they WAIT until they are older and ready for children.
  • Margaret H
    Margaret H
    I think it's problematic that I must give consent for my daughters to recieve lip balm, benedryl, ibuprofen or acetominaphin at school, yet when considering medications with considerably higher stakes, my concerns as a parent of girls under 17 is irrelevant.
  • Robert M
    Robert M
    The thoughts that the teenagers of today  don't use contraception & are not educated or taught to understand the options for last chance to stop the consequences during unprotected intercourse!   move this plan forward & educate the parents of today & the parents of tomorrow! :-)
  • Sharon A
    Sharon A
    I am for emergency contraception. But the biggest thing I am for is changing our societies norms. We should not be encouraging our teens to date until they are old enough to get married if a pregnancy happens.We should not have school functions that encourage mingling between the sexes.I speak as someone who has had an abortion at 15. I was a good girl who's need for someone to love me (I was in a dysfunctional home) drove me to accept sex as a need for my boyfriend to be happy in our relationship. I have been married to this person over 25 years, and we have a good life together. I will always feel the pain of separation from the child I would have had if I could have been just a few years older.
  • Annette B
    Annette B
    As a teen who has taken the "emergency contraceptive", I think it would have been better to have an emergency discussion with qualified professional counseling first. The organization, teen crisis center is fantastic in dealing with teen pregnancy. It is my hope they can be staffed to handle such situations. I realize that time is of the essence but, 24 hours would be enough time to initially screen concern and give good if not great advice.
  • Justin D
    Justin D
    Young teens have used birth control and condoms as an excuse to have sex at a younger age and without the need to save sex for marriage.  Those who don't use the safe sex methods still act upon their lust and misguided ways, but even through strict rules and their parents eyes they will still act on their own will.  I believe that pregnancy and the transmission of STDs are punishment for these young adults to face, as they learn through their foolishness or immature actions. We give them excuses not as parents, but as a whole of the human race as the teens in this generation have intercourse by the age of 15. They get younger and younger each year as some of us believe we fail them; either in education or communication alone,  but in reality what have we failed? The teens willingly have intercourse and our society can teach and threaten of the consequences but until a teen recieves one or both of the listed consequences above they will never grasp the understanding of how important this matter is. It is a matter for a child to learn and make the right choice in their lives as they choose to wait till marriage, practice safe sex through condoms or birth control, or suffer and endure the endless consequences that our society tries so hard to protect them from.

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