Teen Pregnancy & Emergency Contraception
By Kiera

Dear Kiera,
Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went out. Then when we got back to my house, things started to get a little heated. Being caught up in the moment, we had sex. When I got up, I realized he didn’t put on a condom! Now I’m freakin’ out. I tried the Coke soda trick, but all it did was make it worse. Could you please help me?

Sincerely,
Ashley, 15
Washington, D.C.

Dear Ashley,

So you had unprotected sex. First of all, calm down. The first thing you need to know is that there is something you can do after you have unprotected sex to prevent an unintended pregnancy.

*When you have unprotected sex, a way to prevent from getting pregnant is to take emergency contraceptive (EC) pills.

Emergency contraceptive pills are birth control pills. They help prevent pregnancy and the need for an abortion. The brand name for EC is Plan B. However, if you are already on birth control pills, you may be able to use them as EC. Visit http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/dose.html to learn the correct dosage for your brand of pills and the way to take them as EC.

You have to take the pills within the first five days (120 hours) after having unprotected sex. There are other things to remember about contraceptive pills, including those used as EC. They do not cause abortion. They are not Mifeprex (commonly known as the “abortion pill” or RU 486). They are not harmful for you and, if you find out that you are already pregnant, they won’t cause a abortion and they won’t cause birth defects. But also remember that birth control pills do not prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.

You should also know that you have to have a prescription to get EC and that a package of EC can cost between $8 and $25. You can get the pills from your regular doctor, student health center, or local family planning clinic. If you call a doctor, clinic, or hospital and ask for emergency contraceptive pills and they say “no”, don’t be discouraged. Call 1-800-230 PLAN or visit www.teenwire.com to find the Planned Parenthood Clinic nearest you.

However, if you live in Alaska, California, New Mexico, or Washington state, then you live in one of the few states in the country where you can get EC without a doctor's prescription. Pharmacists working in drug stores in your state are able to provide EC without a doctor's prescription.

You might also be interested in these percentages and how they affect us as young women of color.

• Each year, approximately 750,000 to 850,000 teenage women the United States experience pregnancy. [1]
• Seventy-four to 95 of teen pregnancies are unintended. [1]
• Between 1991 and 2002, U.S. birth rates among 15- to 19-year-old women declined in all racial/ethnic groups, although rates for African American and Hispanic teens continued to be higher than the rates for other groups. [1]
• African Americans ages 15 to 19 experienced the steepest decline in birth rates—42 percent—from 118 per 1,000 women in 1991 to 68 in 2002. Among African Americans ages 15 to 17, birth rates dropped by 52 percent between 1991 and 2002. [1]
• The birth rate for Hispanic teens ages 15 to 19 declined 20 percent from 105 per 1,000 women in 1991 to 83 in 2002. [1]
• In the United States, 45.6 percent of high school students and 79.5 percent of college students ages 18-24 have had sex. [1]
• Emergency contraceptive pills could annually prevent as many as 50 percent of unintended pregnancies and consequent abortions among American teens.[2]

I hope this e-mail helps. If you need any other information, please write back!

• For more information
  http://www.advocatesforyouth.org – provides great information about sexual health issues as well as a fact sheet about emergency contraception to give to school personnel and/or parents.
• http://www.not-2-late.com - provides accurate information about emergency contraception and a directory of providers in your area.
• http://www.teenwire.org – gives great information on emergency contraception, safer sex, and more. And gives referrals to local Planned Parenthood clinics.
• http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu – has loads of question and answers on all kinds of relationship and sexual health issues emergency contraceptive pills.

References
1. Advocates for Youth. The Facts: Adolescent Pregnancy and Childbearing in the United States. 2004.
2. Advocates for Youth. The Facts: Emergency Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teens. 2005.

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