What our adolescents should know about early pregnancy

We share a guide for the conversation that many parents avoid but that, for sure, they should have with their adolescent children about sexuality and motherhood.

For some young women, pregnancy is something anticipated and desired . However, experience also tells us that for other adolescents this is not the case. According to the World Health Organization, about 16 million adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth each year. Babies born to teenage mothers account for approximately 11% of all births in the world; considering that 95% of them occur in developing countries.

The key to preventing unplanned teen pregnancy lies in educating young people about contraceptive options to enable them to make free, responsible, and informed decisions about when and how many children to have.

Being willing to talk and listen without prejudice is the best resource that a father or mother can give their children in the preventive culture of early pregnancy. For this, it is necessary that, as responsible adults, we are willing to receive and attend to their proposals, without having to be an expert.

Sex can be a great thing for many people, but it also has consequences. Having sex can lead to pregnancy or contracting/giving a Sexually Transmitted Disease or STD, so it's important to know how to protect yourself. That's why open, non-judgmental conversations you have with your kids about sex, puberty, their bodies, and relationships will help keep them healthy and safe as they grow.

In order for you to achieve this, you must inform yourself correctly , with expert and reliable sources that provide you with the tools to support your children when they have questions or need advice from when they are children and as they grow.

How can I help my teenage son or daughter to prevent an unwanted pregnancy?

You can help him avoid pregnancy by encouraging him to focus on life goals and think about the ways a pregnancy gets in the way of those goals and what he wants for his future.

Let him know the risk he is exposed to contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It is important that you know what diseases you can contract and their consequences, from the Human Papilloma Virus to HIV.

Talk about the multiple safe and effective contraceptive methods , the importance of consulting a gynecologist to choose the best option and the alternative of using condoms and easily obtaining them at the pharmacy or convenience store.

Do you think your teen is sexually active but you haven't talked about it?

Find the right time to talk. Start by reminding him that you love him no matter what, and that you want to talk because he cares about you. He asks if they are having sex, and if so, if they are using birth control and condoms. They can ask you any questions about birth control or condoms. You can emphasize its importance, so that no unplanned pregnancy will change her plans for the future.

It is important to tell him that you love him and that he can always come to you if he is worried about a pregnancy. Many adolescents delay the news to their parents or even deny themselves the pregnancy for many months. The sooner she tells you about a pregnancy, the better it is for her health and emotional well-being.

See a specialist doctor to verify or rule out pregnancy. And if it is not positive, initiate the best contraceptive and planning strategy.

The 7 essentials of early pregnancy prevention:

1. Abstinence: sexuality requires a level of maturity and should not be rushed, so it is better to delay the onset of sexuality until you have the responsibility to assume it and live it fully.
2. Communication: Talk openly and respectfully with your children about the implications associated with sexuality. The good and the bad, the limits and the conditions that must exist in the couple.
3. Education: that they know where they are entering, and that it is not only about pleasure or love, but also the risks to health and the implications in the long term.
4. Values : worry about giving him solid values ​​from childhood, which help him form his own criteria and make the decisions that are best for him in his life.
5. Support and guidance : that they feel that they have help and that they are counting on you to go in case of doubts or if they suspect a pregnancy.
6. No pressure: who is mature enough not to fall under pressure from the social circle or the partner you have.
7. Responsibility: that once you decide to start your sexual life, you have full knowledge and assume the responsibility that the healthy enjoyment of sexuality requires.

Most of the adults of the present were educated under different concepts and beliefs about sexuality which have evolved over time. The challenge of educating our children so that they can live a healthy sexuality from their youth is our responsibility and if you consider that this situation exceeds your standards and limits, consider listening to an expert.

For this we have #SexCoaching sessions on our website: Zenzsual.com so that you can talk about the subject, share points of view and draw the best conclusions that allow you to help your children or even give them this option so that they can talk about the concerns about your sexuality directly with a specialist.

The goal is that from a young age they have the necessary information to have a healthy sexuality and not be carried away by inertia or by the influence of third parties.

We at #TuSaludIntima make #Zenzsual products available to women (from the youngest, the adults who have entered menopause and even the elderly). Like the #Zenzsual cleansing foam and intimate gel , both for daily use, the #LibiZens nutritional supplement to revive desire (for her and for him) and the #VagiYoga vaginal trainer to strengthen the pelvic floor and perform Kegel exercises.

Always thinking that women's health must be attended at all stages of life.

FOUNTAIN:

• Dr. Klara Senior @doctoraklarasenior
• Dr. Sofía Herrera @tu_ginecologa
• who.int
• laprensa.hn