Background
Youths are the future. Not to say that the future will be dull for young girls who become mothers at an early age, but when bombarded with responsibilities such as childcare, a young person will not achieve their full potential in life.
Many cases of school dropouts are because of unwanted or early pregnancies. In rare cases, some girls get to continue with their education with help from close family members to take care of their young ones. Most (not all) young girls don’t have that same privilege so never get to have a life of their own any more in the case of an early pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancy rate in Kenya stands at 18% which directly translates to about 1 in every 5 teenagers is either a young mother or pregnant. One of the leading causes of early pregnancies is lack of sex and reproductive education. Creating awareness about reproductive health among young girls is vital especially in this time and era where teenagers become sexually active at an early age.
In some communities, young girls are exposed to arranged marriages or sexual experiences at an incredibly early age. In most such cultures, you will find cases of sexual abuse rampant too.
It is more of an obligation for elders to teach their peers about reproductive health than it is a right for youths to learn about the same. Parents, educators, health care providers, and pharmacy staff can play a critical role in helping teens learn about, obtain, and use contraception effectively. They need to understand how various methods of birth control work, the benefits, challenges of using methods, and where to get them.
“Proportion of women of reproductive age (aged 15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods. By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes. The indicator is useful in assessing overall levels of coverage for family planning programmes and services. Access to and use of an effective means to prevent pregnancy helps enable women and their partners to exercise their rights to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information, education and means to do so.” Reads part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 3.7.1.
In reference to the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.7.1, the proportion of the need for family planning has been stagnant globally for five years, Africa being an exceptional with an increase from 55% to 58%. This can only mean more people became aware and educated on sexual and reproductive health within the period between 2015-2020.
Contraception Options
There are several types of contraception methods. When educating teenagers on contraception, it is advisable to put all the options available on the table, giving the advantages and disadvantages of each. With such information, one can make the best choice regarding one’s preference.
- Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) include subdermal implants and the IUD. LARCs are considered the most effective forms of contraception with a 1% chance of pregnancy.
An IUD is a tiny flexible t-shaped device inserted into the uterus. A copper T IUD is 99.2% effective, can last for a duration of 10 years and does not contain hormones. The cooper T may however lead to increased menstrual cramping, spotting, and heavier bleeding.
The second type, Levonorgestrel IUD about 99.8% effective, can last for a duration of 3-7 years and does contain a hormone however may include irregular bleeding or spotting.
On the other hand, a subdermal implant is a tiny flexible plastic placed under the skin of the upper arm. This implant contains the progestin hormone that prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs. Unlike pills, subdermal implants don’t need replacement for 3-5 years which means teenagers don’t need to remember application daily. Implants are 99.5% effective at preventing pregnancy.
- Short Acting Contraceptives include oral contraceptive pills, transdermal patch, contraceptive vaginal ring, and the progestin injection.
Contraceptive pills contain estrogen and progesterone, the two female sex hormones that control the menstrual cycle. Pills are about 91% effective in preventing pregnancies and require to be taken daily at around the same time which can be hard for some adolescents to remember.
Transdermal patches, just like contraceptive pills, have 91% chances of effectiveness. However, the patch needs to be changed after every week for three weeks consecutively after which one week is skipped for the monthly periods. Transdermal patches contain norelgestromin and ethinyl estradiol hormones that are absorbed through the skin and prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs.
Contraceptive Vaginal Ring works the same way as transdermal patches, except the ring is placed in your vagina once a month. It stays in place for 3 weeks, and you remove it for 1 week during which you have your monthly periods.
Lastly, the progestin injection is 94% effective at preventing pregnancies but requires a doctor’s visit every three months. Injections also contain a hormone that prevents the ovary from releasing eggs and might cause weight gain.
It is important that we educate young women on female methods of contraception. Lack of such basic knowledge and information will only lead to increased cases of unsafe abortions and unintended pregnancies.
Social network, family members, and media sources, are a key source of contraceptive information for many women. Mass and social media is one of the most effective ways of creating awareness about anything for youths. Opinions of the social network influence contraceptive decisions in this population of young people. Media provides them with an opportunity to evaluate the information and services offered and to try out the methods as suggested.
Health centers in every country should take the frontline in creating awareness around safe sexual practices for teenagers through reproduction health retreats or workshops to ensure they consume safe information on matters contraception. Lack of correct information such as contraception causes infertility only scares away young adults who could live safer and better lives when well educated.