Tag Archives: Teenage Girls

You Should Know These 5 Facts About Birth Control

You Should Know These 5 Facts About Birth Control

Estimates state that more than 99% of the country’s women aged 15 to 44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used some form of birth control. It’s well past time for a frank discussion on some of the lesser-known facts about birth control every woman should know.

  1. There Is A Wide Variety Of Birth Control Methods

Birth control these days is about more than just the pill and condoms; in fact, a wider variety of options exists than ever before, with over a dozen methods approved for use in the United States alone. Here’s a look at some of the most popular, non-permanent methods:

  • Birth Control Pill

    The birth control pill has long been the most popular method of hormonal birth control for both teenage girls and women. It’s effective when women use it correctly, and can offer positive hormonal side effects for many, such as lightened menstrual periods and their associated pain.

  • Male Condom

    Condoms are the only method that also provides some protection against sexually transmitted infections. This barrier method of birth control has the added benefit of producing almost no side effects for women not allergic to latex.

  • IUD

    Both medicated and copper IUDs provide a barrier to implantation of an embryo into the uterine lining, while the medicated IUD also prevents sperm from reaching the egg, making it even more effective at preventing pregnancy without much chance of user error.

  • Injectable

    Commonly known as “the shot,” injectable methods of birth control feature a hormonal shot when, if given on the proper schedule, prevents pregnancy for up to three months at a time.

  • Other Methods

    Several other methods of birth control exist, though less than two percent of the population uses them. Options include vaginal rings, implants, patches, emergency contraception, barrier methods such as the female condom and diaphragm, and spermicidal methods like vaginal jelly and foam.

What is the preferred form of birth control in your state? Find out here.

 

  1. Most Women And Teenage Girls Aren’t Utilizing The Most Effective Methods

    Most women between 15 and 44 aren’t using the most effective methods of birth control. In fact, the most popular method used by family planning providers is the IUD, though only about seven percent of all women in the US use it. Health care professionals also suggest it for teenage girls for its long-term efficacy, zero chance of user error, and reversibility. Once women receive education about all the methods available to them, over 75% chose the IUD, a drastic increase from the national average.

  1. Different Methods Have Different Side Effects

    Chances are you’ve heard a TV announcer read the side effects list of the advertised birth control method and wondered to yourself if all the side effects are really worth it. While it’s true that most hormonal forms of birth control have potential side effects produced by the different hormones used – and their levels – they have different, and even positive, effects on the user. Combined hormone methods utilize estrogen and progestin, and tend to have a slightly more pronounced signs and symptoms, at least at first. Progestin-only methods skip the estrogen, a trade-off that minimizes hormonal side effects but slightly decreases the efficacy rate.

  1. The Side Effects Truly Are Minimal

    You’ve likely heard one friend or another citing the negative effects of her birth control method, including weight gain, irritability, and altered periods. However, for most women – that is, women without additional health concerns – most side effects decrease in severity and eventually disappear over time. The series of adjustments your body needs to make to incorporate the hormones involved will lessen, and weight loss is even possible at this stage.

  2. Find A Method That Works For You

    Of course, you shouldn’t stick with a birth control method that’s making you miserable – all the FDA-approved methods available in the US are effective and you have a wealth of options available. Try a hormonal method with lower levels of hormones, or an IUD without hormones. If you’re having trouble taking your birth control regularly, switch to a method with less hands-on time. The important thing is making your birth control work for you, so it can have its desired effect – pregnancy prevention.

Birth Control Isn’t Taboo

Birth Control As mentioned above, when more women learn about all the types of birth control available to them, they tend to make different choices that better fit their lifestyles. Discussion regarding your reproductive health isn’t – and shouldn’t be – taboo. Learn about the different methods of birth control that may work for you, and after you make your choice, research the side effects, risks, and how to properly use them.

Deciding when and if you want to get pregnant is one of the most significant health decisions you can make, and talking about your options with a women’s healthcare provider like Arizona Gynecology Consultants is a great first step.

Skills Every Girl Should Know By 13

Skills Every Girl Should Know By 13

Learning To Respect And Express Feelings
Understand And Practice Self-Compassion
Develop A Positive Body Image
Learn From Friendships
Understand Feminine Health
Learn The Power Of Saying No
Practice Self-Care With Daily Habits

Puberty entails a host of physical and psychological changes. By the time most girls reach the age of 13, they are at one of the most pivotal phases of their personal development physically, mentally, and socially. Parents should take time during this important developmental stage to ensure their daughters know a few key skills for navigating the world as adults, especially when it comes to having self-respect and acquiring and maintaining an individual sense of self-worth.

Seven Skills Every Daughter Should Know

For many teenage girls, self-love can feel like a foreign concept. Constant bombardment from mass media telling girls how to look, act, and feel can create preconceived notions of womanhood that become increasingly difficult to break with age. Cultivating self-esteem is challenging for countless young people, but girls tend to experience social pressures that influence self-esteem more acutely than boys of the same age. Women should help their daughters learn a few key skills to help them flourish as adults.

 

Learning To Respect And Express Feelings

Repressed or mismanaged emotions can create significant challenges later in life. Young women often struggle with acknowledging and expressing certain feelings, and it is essential for parents to encourage respect and expression of the full spectrum of human emotions, not just the positive ones. Everyone encounters negative influences and tragedy in some form, and learning to process negative feelings is an essential part of cultivating a healthy adulthood.

 

Understand And Practice Self-Compassion

7 Skills To Teach Your Daughter By age 13For many 13-year-old girls, self-respect may seem like a difficult concept to fully grasp let alone put into practice. There is tremendous social pressure on young girls to please others, often at the expense of one’s own time, resources, and energy. Girls who learn to focus on pleasing others at their own expense often experience difficulties with self-care later in life. A life that revolves solely around making others happy is neither tenable nor healthy in the long run.

Self-compassion and self-respect are skills that require nurturing until an individual can put them into daily practice. Self-respect does not only apply to practicing self-care and valuing one’s own place in the world, but also refusing to accept disrespect from others. Girls who learn self-compassion early have a better chance of avoiding exploitative or abusive relationships.

 

Develop A Positive Body Image

Media portrays female beauty in some troublesome ways, and regardless of personal interpretations of the influence of media on adolescents, the media young girls consume ultimately shapes their worldviews. Parents can help their daughters overcome this by teaching them about their bodies and encouraging self-love from a young age. Girls often struggle with questions about sexuality and female health during puberty, and parents are in the best position to help them develop a strong personal body image and self-respect.

There is no “correct” way to look, despite what the media may portray that indicates otherwise. Parents should help their daughters recognize that it is okay for a girl to be different and perfectly acceptable to fall outside the realm of normalized beauty standards as long as she lives an authentic life and realizes that she is capable of anything as long as she is willing to do the necessary work.

 

Learn From Friendships

Parents should help their daughters recognize that their friendships should be models for what healthy relationships look like in the future. Young girls often develop strong friendships in the puberty years, and parents should help them understand ideas like conflict resolution, honest communication, and learning how to assert themselves in difficult situations. For female adolescents, self-empowerment is best learned through personal relationships and learning how to tell the difference between positive influences and negative ones.

 

Understand Feminine Health

Puberty entails a host of physical changes, and this can be a confusing and alienating time for girls around 13. Parents should make it a point to ensure their daughters know to ask questions and speak freely about the changes they experience, what they mean, and how to manage them effectively. Women generally undergo more regular medical screenings than men and at younger ages, and parents should do their best to prepare their daughters for the feminine health issues they will inevitably encounter.

 

Learn The Power Of Saying No

Consent is a crucial subject all parents need to discuss with their daughters. Practicing self-compassion extends to far more than ensuring time and energy to oneself; it also means knowing how to handle potentially dangerous situations. Puberty and adolescence generally involves most youths’ first sexual experiences, first romances, and the blossoming of friendships that can last for years or even a lifetime. Learning how to say no is a crucial skill for any young woman, and parents can start teaching their daughters the power of “no” at a very young age.

Practice Self-Care With Daily Habits

The habits young people learn in their formative years shape their daily lives for years to come. Those habits become difficult to break, so cultivating healthy ones as early as possible leads to the best results. Parents should take time to teach their daughters how to respect food, how to exercise appropriately, and how to practice self-care at a fundamental level with proper daily nutrition, adequate rest, and consistent exercise.

Putting These Lessons Into Practice

These skills will not only help young women cultivate self-respect and navigate difficult social situations but also empower young girls at one of the most important times of their lives. By age 13, a young girl has already shaped a great deal of her worldview and self-image, and the changes that come with puberty may be difficult but they also present a tremendous opportunity to lay the groundwork for a life of high self-esteem, healthy daily habits, and stronger, healthier personal relationships.