Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
11 May, 2020
May is known as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. We know that many young women find themselves unexpectedly pregnant in their teen years, some even before they graduate high school. Though many young women rise up, work hard, and make it as a single mom, we know that this is not an easy road. We can also see, according to God’s Word, that what is best for us is to save ourselves for marriage and therefore, have children with someone who is wholeheartedly committed to this marriage and family.
Sadly, many of the women we see at Your Options, do not know Jesus. They do not realize He has a plan and purpose for their lives. Teens that find themselves unexpectedly pregnant are often simply looking for love. They know no better than to seek that love in a man and have an intimate relationship. Other times, some teens come to us and are sad when they are not pregnant because they actually wanted to have a baby. Again, they have a deep longing to be loved and believe a child would be able to fulfill this need in their lives.
There are a few things we strive to do at Your Options Medical to help prevent teen pregnancy, but also to encourage these beautiful young women in the way of the truth.
First, we talk about waiting. This is a not a popular subject in our culture today. Young people are often never encouraged to wait for sex. If a young person is having sex, there is always a chance of becoming pregnant. Many of our patients have shared that they felt pressured to have sex or that they were expected to have sex as young as possible. Teens feel this un-explainable pressure to have sex but not get pregnant. Instead of just teaching kids how to have sex without getting pregnant, we remind young people that it’s perfectly okay to wait for sex, they CAN say no. They shouldn’t be pressured into sexual intimacy. It’s okay to be friends and just hold hands & kiss during teen dating years.
We also talk to our patients about understanding their bodies. Many of our patients have shared how they are frustrated because they think they might be unexpectedly pregnant. They talk about how they learned in health class to use birth control and barrier methods to avoid pregnancy during sex. However, they really don’t understand how the female cycle works. Sometimes, our patients are shocked to hear that women really can only become pregnant a couple of days out of the month. When we educate our patients about their menstrual cycles, they leave feeling grateful and empowered because they have a better understanding of their own bodies. We have put together an entire blog with a simple explanation of the female menstrual cycle. Check it out on our patient website: Know Your Cycle.
Our young women need more information than just “have sex but don’t get pregnant”. They deserve to know each part of their body, it’s function, and how it works. They deserve to know the truth that they can wait to have sex. If they have already had sex, we remind them that they can stop and wait. They should never give into this kind of pressure. Some of our younger patients have shared that they really don’t enjoy sex, they are just doing it because they feel like it’s what’s expected of them. This month, let’s not just talk about preventing teen pregnancy. But rather, let’s empower our teen girls by offering them the full truth about the amazing ability and functions of the female body.