Teenage Pregnancy
If you've had unprotected sex you are at the risk of being pregnant. You might be surprised how easy it is for most young women to become pregnant, so first of all, make sure you aren't gambling with your future. Yes, there are teenaged mothers who are wonderful, proud parents, and have found a way to make it work, but it can be a rough road and it's better to be in control of such a life-changing event than to leave it to chance, so:
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Always use contraception; choose one that suits you, and use it as it was designed to be used. If you have questions about pregnancy and how it happens, you should talk to someone about it – check out the links below for useful info and support.
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It's easy to get careless about using contraception and think – "Oh, just once won't matter, what are the chances?" That's how a lot of unplanned pregnancies happen, and over one third of all pregnancies are unplanned! Find out for sure if you're using a contraceptive method that actually works.
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Other than choosing not to have sex, no method of contraception is 100% safe – there's always a chance you can get pregnant even if you are using contraception. Even if you're on other contraceptives, you should always use a condom to prevent against STDs. Only use a condom once, then throw it away – they aren't designed to be recycled!
If you think you might be pregnant, the sooner you find out for sure the more choices you have and the more time you have to make a decision – whether a pregnancy is planned or unplanned. Pregnancy tests are available at most supermarkets and chemists.
Some basic facts you should think about if you are pregnant:
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Teenage mothers are more likely to suffer from post-natal depression.
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If your pregnancy means you can't finish school, it may be difficult to go back and complete your education, and it may affect your ability to get work and earn money in the future. It will probably also mean you have to put your personal goals aside for quite a while.
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Being a parent requires support – if you do not have the unconditional support of your family and/or the baby's father, you need to realise that it is extremely difficult to cope with a baby on your own. Even older mums with the support of a partner, family and friends, find having a child a challenging experience.
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For many teenagers being a young parent can also be very isolating – you might find that your friends don't have much in common with you any more; it can also be hard to relate to other older parents – sometimes because they think you are too young to be a good mother. This judgement may be wrong, but you have to accept that some people are going to have these opinions.
Those are a just a few of many things you need to think about if you're pregnant and considering keeping the baby. The best thing to do is talk to a doctor or midwife about your options, and talk to family and friends. If you don't have anyone you can talk to about it, you can call a helpline like KidsHelp and talk anonymously on the phone or by email.
Links
Here's a list of really helpful websites for you to check out. Some of them have helplines you can call for information and support.
Family Planning Queensland
Check out this website to find out where your local Family Planning clinic is, for advice and information on contraceptives, pregnancy testing and pregnancy counselling:
Child and Youth Health
This section of the Child and Youth Health website explains your options for an unplanned pregnancy:
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=240&np=299&id=2136
Children by Choice
Children by Choice is an informative, up-to-date Australian website, especially helpful if you think abortion is your choice:
http://www.childrenbychoice.org.au
Kids Helpline
This site has a list of counselling options – telephone, email or online. It's for young people aged 5-25, to talk about any issues, including pregnancy: