How to avoid Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancy is a rather frightening reality that can change your life in an instant.

The good news is that teenage pregnancy is avoidable: By not having sex, you never risk getting pregnant. If you do decide to have sex, it's best to stay informed about what you can do to avoid unwanted pregnancy. 1. Don't give in to peer pressure. any teenagers can feel left out!behind when their friends start to have boyfriends, or start having sex. Those who have started to do these things early can often talk about it enough to make others feel left out. "owever, if you do stand your ground and wait until you know you are ready, you will be glad of it. It means you'll have waited for the right person and the right time.

#veryone develops at different rates, both physically and mentally, so don't feel that you should be racing your peers for things like having sex and getting boyfriends. any of your peers will regret their choices in time. $thers could even be lying. %on't &ust start having sex because other people are if you aren't ready to do it yourself

2. Learn to say "No". This includes saying no to anything you feel uncomfortable with. 'hether it's refusing to have a boyfriend, have any kind of physical contact, have sex or have sex without protection, there is nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. The only 100% safe way to avoid pregnancy is to not have sex , so you shouldn't feel stupid for not wanting to go through with something. 3. Know what wi and won't resu t in pregnancy. 'ith sex in general, there are a lot of myths about what will get you pregnant and what will keep you from getting pregnant. ( lot of these myths are simple misinformation, and some of them are lies designed to deceive you. (rm yourself with the facts and lower your chances of pregnancy the safe, smart way.

)nprotected vaginal sex has the highest likelihood of resulting in pregnancy. ale sperm fertili*es the female egg, resulting in the growth of a fetus. )nprotected sex also carries a high risk of disease and infection.

+ulling out carries some risk of pregnancy. ,tudies show that typical use of withdrawal has an -./ chance of resulting in pregnancy. This is because some sperm may be released in the male's pre0seminal fluid, or simply because the male doesn't pull out 1uickly enough. )nprotected anal sex by itself cannot result in unwanted pregnancy. But because the anus and the vagina are extremely close to each other, there is a chance that sperm could accidentally leak into the vagina, causing pregnancy. )nprotected anal sex carries with it an increased likelihood of ,TIs, especially "I2!(I%,. $ral sex cannot result in pregnancy. (s long as the penis does not come in contact with the vagina, there is no possibility that oral sex can lead to unwanted pregnancy.345 The likelihood of transmitting some ,TIs, however, is increased with oral sex.

!. "nderstand the e##ectiveness o# di##erent #or$s o# %irth contro . (ll birth controls are not created e1ual. ,ome work better than others, and some are preferred by different individuals for different reasons. It helps to know a little about what each form of birth control is, and how effective they are.

'earing a condom fails about -6/ of the time, mostly because of improper usage, and in rare cases, because of manufacturing error. If worn correctly however, condoms work more effectively than pulling out. The pi and the patch, which avoid pregnancy by preventing the female's ovulation cycle, have about an ./ chance of causing pregnancy with typical use.3-5 'ith proper usage, however, the pill has a 77/ success rate in preventing unwanted pregnancy. &ntrauterine Devices, or I)%s, fail less than -/ of the time.3-5 They fall into either hormonal I)%, or copper I)%, and re1uire no upkeep. ,ome I)%s can stay in place for -8 years

'. "se protection. 9emember that many types of sexual intercourse can cause pregnancy. The best thing to do would be to ta ( a%out contraception choices with your partner %e#ore having se) , as there are many choices such as the birth control pill, condoms and spermicide.

If you aren:t comfortable enough with your partner to talk to him or her about protection, you aren't ready to have sex with them. ake sure that you are fully educated about the effectiveness of all of the different types of birth control before making a decision. If you are in doubt about your best options, visit your doctor. They aren't allowed to tell anyone about what you spoke about, and will give you good advice. %on't be embarrassed; they will have dealt with things like this many times before.

*. +a(e sure you (now how to put on a condo$. If you:re a girl, don:t leave it up to the guy to put it on, as he may ob&ect or try talking you out of it. +lay it cool: If he says, <I don:t want to put a condom on,= &ust grin and respond with, <>o worries ? I:ll put it on for you@= (rm yourself with the knowledge of how to put one on properly and refuse to take no for an answer. (nd remember, if the guy you:re about to have sex with can:t be bothered to protect his and your health, get out of there and consider yourself lucky for dodging a bullet.

If you are worried about being caught unprepared then the best thing to do would be to go on the birth0control pill and!or to always have a condom in your bag. Bear in mind that condoms are the only way to effectively protect yourself against ,TIs, or sexually transmitted infections. %o not let yourself be persuaded into having unprotected sex@ Aondoms are often given away for free at places such as schools, colleges and family planning clinics. In many countries, birth control such as the pill or the in&ection are also available for free.

,. +a(e sure you (now which types o# contraception don't consistent y wor(. 'hen you're young it can be confusing to hear about all of the different types of birth control, and all of the rumors that come with it. Therefore it can be confusing to work out which ones are actually effective. ,o here are some of the methods you should avoid. These things do decrease the possibility of pregnancy slightly, but are not effective contraceptive techni1ues on their own:

>atural family planning. This is when you use your menstrual cycle, or temperature to help predict when you are ovulating and when you are least fertile. It re1uires commitment and is only effective if used correctly and

tracked over time. It's especially ineffective during your teenage years since teenage cycles can be erratic and therefore difficult to predict.

The withdrawal method. This is where the man has to 'pull out' before e&aculation. This is extremely unreliable since pre0e&aculation can leak out before he actually climaxes, which can then lead to pregnancy. (s well as this is you'd have to trust him to control himself.

-. Don't eave anything to chance. If you have had sex and either you didn't use protection or your protection wasn't effective Be.g. condom splitC then don't leave it to chance. Det hold of the +lan B contraceptive!morning after pill, which can prevent a possible pregnancy within 4 days of sexual intercourse Balthough the sooner you have it, the more effective it will beC.

The morning after pill should not be used as a birth0control method, but as an emergency aid. It's not healthy to consistently use. #mergency contraception causes a short but strong burst of hormonal changes that prevent ovulation. It will not cause an abortion.

.. Know what to do i# a pregnancy occurs. If you think that there is a chance that you or your partner might be pregnant, you get a pregnancy test as soon as possible. These can be done for free at some pharmacists or by your doctor. It's important to find out as soon as possible if you are pregnant because it leaves more options for what to do about it.

The only thing you'd be able to do to avoid a teenage pregnancy if you were pregnant is to abort the baby. "owever, it's important to be aware of other options available to you such as getting the baby adopted, or choosing to keep and raise the baby yourself.