How We Can Talk To Our Teens About Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy is still on the rise and it’s time we start talking about it with our teens.

Because sex can be an awkward topic to talk about with our kids, we would rather not talk about it at all. Unfortunately, this is what leads to more teenage pregnancies. Under the pretense of learning about sex, some teens engage in sexual activities because there’s no talking about it. The lack of knowledge makes them pursue with utmost curiosity what it’s like. But it’s because of this that they also lose out on certain knowledge such as emergency contraceptives as revealed in DKT’s latest survey.

Unwillingness to talk about it is risky

Despite sex being a natural behavior, our unwillingness to talk about it may come from a lot of factors. Whether it’s because of religion or being highly unprepared, DKT’s latest survey reveals that it’s because of this that many teens are unaware of how contraceptives work. Chairman of the DKT Hyam Bolande reveals that the history of contraceptives being synonymous to abortion is what made the number of teen pregnancy cases skyrocket. He shares, “Despite the Yuzpe Method and emergency contraceptives being available, a large amount of Filipinos — both men and women — are unaware that it’s there.”

Knowledge about Emergency Contraceptives doesn’t encourage Sexual Behavior

Contrary to popular belief, talking about emergency contraceptives and sex with teens doesn’t encourage it. Some studies have shown that teens often engage into risk-taking behavior out of curiosity. Dr. Mario Festin, one of the consultants, mentions that preventing teenage pregnancy requires a “multi-faceted intervention”. He shares, “We can’t use just one intervention. There are different ways to intervene and prevent teen pregnancy. One of the efforts to prevent it is proving that emergency contraceptives are safe. We want to show how emergency contraceptives work to remove the stigma that it encourages abortion. It doesn’t. It prevents ovulation.”

Don’t become part of the numbers

It may feel uncomfortable for us at first but better that than long-term consequences. We’re more than aware how much effort, responsibilities, and time it takes to raise a child. But that’s something our teens may not foresee because their curiosity about sex overwhelms that. Sitting down and talking with our teens and learning more about emergency contraceptives, sex, and the realities of pregnancy contributes to keeping our them safe.

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