Whether your already having sex or plan on having sex in the future, knowing how to protect yourself is an absolute life essential. I know quite a few teenagers who are simply too embarrassed to use contraception and many more who seem to think that unprotected sex makes them look cooler, in fact i predict that a huge percentage of my friends never used contraception during many of their teenage years, then again the area that i grew up in was well known for its high number of young single mums and teenage pregnancies :/

Grow some balls

Very few teenage boys have the confidence to use a condom, mostly because they are lacking self-confidence and feel that their tackle is on the side, truth is condoms come in many shapes and sizes and is very rare that you will find a condom that is too big. In the other corner you have the egolistic males who believe they have a penis that is the size of a cucumber and that it would never fit into a condom so there is no point in using one.

For teenage girls i think that they are afriad of suggesting to the male to use a condom for fear of rejection or ask for the pill for fear of what the other teenagers will say and/or think. May, maybe not (let me know) but a lot of teenagers as a whole neglect the sex essentials such as contraception and put not only them and their sexual partner at risk but any future sexual partners too!

It never happens

If i saw a teenager in somewhere such as a supermarket buying condoms i would probably let them know how smart they are, it wasn’t until i truly learnt about sexually transmitted diseases and infections that i took safe sex seriously, a long story cut short is if you don’t want to be parents use contraception and if you dont want to catch diseases and infections then use a condom. However if you want to be stupid and put your own and other lives at risk by not protecting yourself, then simply put you are an idiot!!

Make sure your both clean

To be completely sure that your clean it is recommended that you get checked for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and infections (STIs) before a you have sex with a new partner and after your sexual relationship with that person has ended, by always being cautions about safe sex, you give yourself the best possible protection against STDS and STIS and can help stop the spread of them.

To continue to protect yourself from STDs and other nasty stuff, always make use of condoms during sex, even if you are using other forms of contraception as well. Condoms are the best way to prevent any infections spreading from one person to the next, plus you will have some extra protection against pregnancy.

Condom safety

Just so you know here are some things to remember when using condoms.

• Never put 2 condoms on at the same time, they will just cause each other to tear.
• Never re-use a condom, even if it looks reusable.
• Always check for the kite mark on the condom wrapper (this ensures that it passes British tests and is safe to use).
• Always check that the condom is still in date (yes they expire too).
• Always check that the wrapper is not torn and when putting on a condom check for any rips of other signs of damage.

The last thing to remember is that oil based products dont mix well with condoms and can make then break, this includes things such as lipstick, vaseline, and some lubricants, if you wish to use lubrication during sex be sure to check that it is water based and not oil based.

Be certain

Be certain that your having sex because you want too, unless you are sure that you want sex you should not do it, if you have read this article and said ‘i didn’t know that’ then you have not researched it properly and probably don’t know all the facts and if your planning on having sex to look cool or just for the sake of it then your even more at risk because you/your partner do not care about each other and are going to be less cautious when it comes to things such as condoms and contraceptives.

If your in doubt don’t do it.

This article is all about answering your embarrassing sex questions, some you may already know about, some you may think you already know the answer to and some you may just be too shy to ask, well whatever your reason for reading these, we at myteenissues.com has compiled a list of the most common and most embarrassing sex questions that are often asked by teenagers. (if you have a question that is not already on the list feel free to drop us a comment at the end of the article)

Questions relating to both boys and girls

Is there a 100% way of not getting pregnant?
Yes, but it means not having sex, the only way to not get pregnant from having sex is to not have sex, many contraceptives are over 99% effective and many range between 92% – 98% effective however none are a 100% guaranteed to prevent pregnancy.

We were laying naked together and i wanked him off and it landed near my vagina, can i get pregnant?
In theory yes you can get pregnant, any sperm that goes near a girls vagina could end up in a pregnancy, although this would be rare and chances of pregnancy occurring from this kind of situation are slim, it is still possible.

I had unprotected sex, i feel fine so must be fine, i don’t think i need a check up, do i?
Many sexually transmitted diseases have no noticeable symptoms so just because you feel fine and everything looks like it normally does it does not mean that you have not contracted an STD, the only way to be sure is to get yourself checked. Plus if you had unprotected sex you could also be pregnant.

What excatly is meant by unprotected sex?
Unprotected sex means having sex without using any method of birth control or any protection against STDs. Currently that means sex without using a condom as condoms are one of the most effective methods to help protect against STDs, although they are not the most effective form of contraception. (but are the easiest to get hold of) At the very least you should be using some form of birth control when having sex.

Questions relating to just teenage girls

Can i get pregnant from oral sex?
No it is not possible to get pregnant from giving or receiving oral sex, it is however possible to contract sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, HIV and AIDS.

When should i start using birth control?
Ideally you should start using birth control from the second you feel that you may have sex, like for e.g. you and your partner have discussed sex and feel that you are both ready to do it. If you start using birth control after you start having sex it could already be too late.

If a girl does not orgasm can she still get pregnant?
Yes regardless of whether a girl orgasms, screams blue murder, shouts your name, or whatever, if your penis penetrates the vagina she could end up pregnant.

I’m a virgin can i get pregnant on the first time of having sex?
Yes. you can get pregnant anytime that you have sex, regardless of whether it is your first time or your tenth time, effective birth control measures should be used, speak to your local GP about what method of contraception would be best for you. No contraceptive method is 100%, many are around 99% effective but even with contraception, you can still get pregnant.

What age can a girl become pregnant?
Any age after you start puberty, once you start having periods. You body produces periods to show that your body is ready to accept a fertilised egg (should an egg become fertilised after sex).  Basically if you have started your monthly period cycle, you can get pregnant from sex.

Im on my period, im protected against pregnancy right?
Wrong. even during your period you could still get pregnant, you could be less likely to get pregnant during your period but even a small chance is too big a chance to take if you want to avoid pregnancy.

Questions relating to just teenage boys

What age can a boy get a girl pregnant?
Providing that the girl has started her monthly period cycle then a boy can get a girl pregnant at any age after he starts producing sperm (usually shortly after puberty). When it comes to sex, age does not determine whether your able to get pregnant, every so often on the news you hear about 12/13 year olds becoming parents due to unprotected sex.

If i pull out she wont get pregnant right?
Wrong, if your penetrate the vagina your pre-cum is enough to get a girl pregnant, if the penis enters the vagina your run the risk of getting her pregnant, plus if your pulling out at the last minute you could mis-time it and cum inside, it also means that you are having unprotected sex which could spread STDs between you and your sexual partner(s).

Since 1 condom is not 100% effective does using 2 improve the effectiveness?
No. in fact by wearing 2 condoms at the same time you are more likely to cause them to split due to the friction that is caused between the 2 condoms. Condoms are only effective if used one at a time and used according to instructions.

The need to know info on periods

A period is bleeding through a women’s vagina, everyone’s period will vary but on average the bleeding will last for a few days. Most girls experience their first period between the ages of 11 and 15, however in some girls it can be as young as 8 or as old as 18. They will start when they are ready, and unfortunately, it is something that you cannot control or delay.

You first period will show that your body is changing, this also signals puberty, although the other signs of puberty may or may not already begin showing. The change in your body that this article is all about is the change where your body is preparing your insides for the day that you have a baby, having a period is just part of the change.

You period is part of a cycle, basically what is happening inside your body is this, your ovaries release an egg every month (ovulation), this egg travels along the fallopian tube, to your uterus. While the egg is travelling down the fallopian tube, your uterus is preparing for a possible pregnancy, it achieves this by making its lining thicker and softer.

If at anytime during this cycle the egg becomes fertilised by a sperm from a male, the egg will settle in the uterus, and a pregnancy will begin. If the egg reaches the uterus unfertilised then, the lining of the uterus is flushed out of the body, via the vagina as blood. This is your monthly period.

The monthly cycle

This cycle will happen each and every month, for some women their cycle can be irregular, but for month it will happen around about once a month.

This monthly cycle does have a scientific name and for those who want to know what it is called, it is named the menstrual cycle, the start of the cycle is the first day of your period, the end of the cycle is the day before the next period. On average the cycle will last around 28 days, but many women report cycles that last for shorter and longer periods, some women’s periods will also vary from month to month.

Periods questions and answers

how long will a period last for?
on average periods last for 4-5 days and will continue until the age of around 50.

how will i no a period is about to start?
some women will tender breast, spots on their face, mood swings and stomach cramps.

can i become pregnant during a period?
despite what some people may say, yes you can get pregnant during a period, every women’s body releases an egg at different times and at different speed, plus sperm can live in your body for around about a week.

what can i use to prevent stains from bleeding?
you can use sanitary towels or tampons, which you choose will be down to your personal preference, as a quick briefer a sanitary towel lines the outside of your vagina and soaks up the bloods as it comes out, tampons are inserted just inside your vagina and soaks up the blood as it is released.

Am i pregnant?

The only way to be sure is to have a pregnancy test, you can either get one from the doctor or but a home pregnancy test from the shop, if either of which come back positive it means that you are pregnant.

Sometimes you can take a pregnancy test and it will give a false negative, this is due to taking it too soon after your first missed periods, sometimes the HCG hormone is too low to show on a pregnancy test.

If you ever suspect that you could be pregnant and receive a negative on a pregnancy test, i would recommend that you took a second test a few days later to double check.

Im pregnant – im scared.

OK so the test has come back positive, if the test you took was a home use pregnancy test then first thing to do is get it confirmed by your local GP, this will set the ball rolling and your doctor should discuss the available options with you. The doctor will also be able to set dates with you and the hospital so that you can get your pregnancy scans done and also fit you in with the nearest midwife appointment so that you can heave regular check-ups.

It may now have fully hit you that you are pregnant and what your feeling right now might be a huge mixture of different emotions that range from happiness to fear and worry, you might be worries what others might think and you are worried about the financial costs of having a baby all the time excited at the big change in your life.

When you first find out you are pregnant you will have millions of thoughts in your head, it is important that as soon as you realise you are pregnant, you sit down and discuss what you plan to do.

What are my options now then?

The next life choice that you make will be one that affects you for the rest of your life and something that you will remember for the rest of your life too, but you didn’t expect the consequences of unprotected sex to be easy did ya?

Firstly you need to be sure that any choice that you make is one that you are fully happy with, do not let anyone push you into a choice that you are not happy with, this includes family and partners. Chances are everyone that you speak to will have a different idea as to what you should do. You will have the choice of the following 3 options

1. continue with the pregnancy and keep the baby to raise yourself.
2. continue with the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption.
3. have the pregnancy terminated by having an abortion.

Following option 1 is a big responsibility, and means the next 20 or so years will never be your own again. Everything goes from being about you to being about the baby.

Option 2 means that you still stay pregnant for 9 months, then you give your baby to a family that will raise him as their own, this is a good option if you feel you are not ready for a baby but do not believe in abortion.

Option 3 means having the pregnancy terminated (i.e. the growing baby inside you is killed), abortions do happen and are a way out of an unwanted pregnancy, however a lot of people are against abortions and there are plenty of debates going on about whether they are morally right or not.

Unfortunately there is no close your eyes and everything will go away option, and the more you avoid it the harder it gets, the longer you ignore it, the less time you will have to make a choice. Be sure that you look up your options, speak to family and friends and also your local GP. If you need to speak to someone who is not going to pressure you into a choice, you could speak to the family planning agency on 0845 122 8690.

Some others that can help include Marie Stopes (www.mariestopes.org.uk) and bpas ( www.bpas.org), both websites offer valuable information that you will probably find useful. Also there is Brook, a service for under 25′s, you can reach brook on 0808 802 1234.

Whats important is that whatever choice you make is the choice that you feel is right for you, and that the information that you recieve is accurate, you should also note that some websites/groups offer biased information, although their information may be correct it may lead to you feeling pressured into making a choice.

What choice should i make?

The choice you make should be based on what you think is best, some things that you would want to consider are;

• what is your life like now? – would you still have as much time for friends and family? would you still have time (or would you be able to work around) your education?
• how does your future look like without a baby? do you have any dreams that need fulfilling? or do you have any career prospects?

Then you should consider how much would a baby change your current and future lifestyle and plans? the following statements may help you put things into perspective

• am i ready to be a parent?
• am i ready for the body changes that come with being pregnant?
• will having a baby stop me from doing the things that are important to me?
• am i too young to have a baby right now?
• am i ready to give up some things so that i can take care of a baby?
• my family would/would not support me?
• my family would/would not approve of me having a baby?
• i do/do not agree with abortion?

I am going to . . .

continue the pregnancy

If you have not already started you will need to set up your antenatal care, this is regardless of whether you decided to keep the baby or give it up for adoption, antenatal care is important as it can pick up and spot any potential health problems in both the mum-to-be and the growing baby. You can usually set up antenatal care at your local GP.

During the antenatal care sessions the doctor or midwife will talk to you about healthy eating, folic acid, smoking, drinking, drugs and other information based around what is happening to you and your body.

have an abortion

I am not going to go into the debate of whether abortion is right or wrong, however i do hope you have at least read about abortions before you decide to take it as an option, anyway, abortion is a legal way of terminating a pregnancy. Age is not a factor when choosing to have an abortion.

In most parts of the UK setting up an abortion is easy, but this does vary from place to place so you will need to arrange everything in hand so that your all ready to go once you have made up your mind.

The other thing that makes choosing an abortion harder is that it is time-restrained, the earlier in the pregnancy an abortion is performed the easier and safer it is to do. Almost all abortions are carried out before 20 weeks, with the majority being before 12 weeks. Abortion after 24 weeks is uncommon and is only considered in certain circumstances. The other thing that you need to remember is that most people are often 5-8 weeks pregnant before they even realise it and an abortion can take up to a month to be carried out.

You can have an abortion without telling your parents, partner or your doctor, plus your partner (babies would be dad) has no legal say in whether you should have an abortion or not.

Many women often feel sad or upset after having an abortion and by having an abortion you are not affecting your chances of having a baby in the future.

give the baby up for adoption

As with keeping the baby you still need to arrange all you antenatal care and ensure that everything is fine during the pregnancy.

Many women choose adoption as an option because they feel they cannot raise a child at that moment in time but do not want to go through with an abortion. By giving your baby up for adoption it will mean that the baby will be brought up by another family as if they were their own, usually the adopter is someone who cannot have child of their own or have tried but not succeeded at getting pregnant.

Once an adoption have been made legal (by a court) the decision cannot be changed.

You can prepare for the adoption during any stage of the pregnancy however it will not be final until the baby is born. Once the baby is born you will be asked to sign a formal agreement. You cannot be asked to sign this until the baby is 6 weeks old and this signing does not make the agreement final.
During this time the baby will usually go into foster care until the final arrangements are confirmed.The adoptive parents will then take care of the baby and apply to the courts for an adoption order.Once the adoption order is granted (ie agreed by the courts) then the adoption is final and there is no going back. You can decide to take care of the baby yourself even after you have said you want it adopted, however this must be done before it is agreed by the courts, it will also then be down to the courts as to where the child would be best placed (with you or the adoptive parents), so even if you do change your mind you could still end up without a baby.

I will say once again that which ever of the options that you choose it must be you that chooses it and it must be because it is what you want to do and not because someone is telling you to do it.

Contraception choices after the birth of your baby

So you have just finished giving birth and have now brought a beautiful baby into the world, now its probably the only thing you think and care about. The baby is your new life, however unless you want to go from 1 baby to 2 babies you really should think about contraception straight away, even if you have no plans on having sex for a while.

Women tend to be extra fertile for the first few months after pregnancy and this means that you’ll have more chance of becoming pregnant. You may not be planning on another baby, but one is likely to come along if you do not take precautions before sex.

You can start having sex as soon as your ready to after the birth, a lot of couples tend to use most of their energy on getting used to having and caring for the new born baby, some experience emotional and physical changes, and some seem to lose their sex drive all together. Me and my partner never had sex for the first month or 2, however once you gain confidence with the baby, and get used to planning him into your life and stuff, your sex life will start to return to normal, the first couple of times you have sex afterwards it will likely be unplanned and you’ll be unprepared unlike you are already aware of contraception.

You periods will return at around 6 weeks after the birth, if you are fully breastfeeding they may not return until you stop or breastfeed less. You can start using contraception again from 3 weeks after the birth, do not think that because your not having a period you cannot get pregnant, this is untrue as many women end up pregnant again before their periods even return. If you are fully breastfeeding you can use this as your contraceptive.

Condoms and the progestogen-only pill can be used at any time, the implant can be used from 3 weeks and providing that you are not breastfeeding you can used the combined pill, contraceptive vaginal ring, and the patch from 3 weeks.

The contraceptive injection can be used earlier but is recommended that you wait until week 6 before using it.

A diaphragm or cap can be used from 6 weeks after giving birth.

What contraception should i choose?

The contraceptive that will suit you best will depend on your preferences, your medical history and any medication that you may be taking, whether or not you had problems during pregnancy and whether or not you are breastfeeding.

A lot may also depend on whether or not you want a contraceptive that you take/use one and it lasts for weeks (for e.g. the injection) or whether you want one that you have to use daily (for e.g. the pill).

If you want a contraceptive that you have more control over then i would recommend the contraceptive patch or diaphragm or cap because with these contraceptives your fertility returns to normal pretty much straight away plus its not a contraceptive that you need to remember to use everyday.

Other recommendations are condoms, and either of the pills. Some contraceptives are not recommended if you are breastfeeding but not using it as a contraceptive, check with your doctor beforehand.

If you want a more permanent contraceptive (not recommended at teenage years by some doctors) you can go for the implant, injection, IUD or IUS.

Emergency Contraception

Emergency contraception can be used when you have had unprotected sex or when you think that your contraception may have failed, an example of this could be that your condom split half way through and you want to make sure you don’t end up pregnant.

Currently in the UK there are 2 types of emergency contraception, one is the emergency hormonal pill, the second is the copper intrauterine device, better known as an IUD, out of the 2, the IUD is the most effective, but the pill is easier to use.

Both types of emergency contraception work by preventing pregnancy, they may stop ovulation depending on where in your cycle they are taken, however their main aim is to prevent an egg becoming fertilised and to prevent a fertilised egg from settling in the womb.

You can get the emergency hormonal pill or the IUD free from a variety of places including, any GP that provides contraception services, a contraception/sexual health clinic, GUM clinics and some young peoples services.

You can also get the emergency hormonal pill free from, most NHS walk in centres, some pharmacies, some NHS minor injury units, and some hospital A+E departments.

The pill can also be brought (if you are 16 or over) from most pharmacies, and some privately run clinics at a cost of around £25 per pill.

The emergency hormonal pill

A single pill that contains progestogen, and can be used up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, the sooner it is taken the more effective it will be. If taken within 24 hours then it will be around 95% effective, 25-48 hours it will be 85% effective and 49-72 hours after unprotected sex it will be 58% effective. Taking the pill after 72 hours may still help some people avoid pregnancy but it is not as effective.

The pill works by stopping/delaying an egg from being released and helping to prevent an egg from becoming fertilised or settled in the womb.

The copper IUD

An IUD is a small plastic device which is inserted into the uterus by a trained doctor or nurse, and can be fitted at anytime, providing you are not already pregnant.

The advantages of the IUD over the pill are simple, it is more effective, can be fitted up to 5 days after unprotected sex, and can be used as a contraceptive method in the future.

The copper IUD is around 99% effective, and works in the same way as the non-emergency IUD, it also comes with the same advantages, dis-advantages, side-effects and risks.

Taking this quiz could help you decide whether you are ready or not to have sexual intercourse with your partner.

Questionnaire

1. I have discussed sex with my partner
2. I have discussed contraception with my partner
3. I have consulted with my GP or practise nurse on the contraception that best suits me
4. I have my contraception ready
5. I understand that sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) can be transferred during oral, vaginal and anal sex
6. I understand the risk of pregnancy and STI’s
7. I know why i want to have sex
8. I understand that sex does not solve relationship problems
9. I am not being pressured into sex by my partner or friends
10. I feel completely comfortable and trust my partner
11. I understand the consequences and responsibilities of having sex

Results

If you have answered No to one or more of the above questions than you are not ready for sex, having sex with someone requires certain levels of comfort, understanding and responsibility. By answering No you have shown that you need a bit more time to become ready for sexual intercourse and the responsibilities that come with it.
If you have answered Yes to more than three than you are ready but must remember that it is a big step and should be careful and take as much time as you need.

In this day and age there are many types of contraception options available to teens, some are better suited to certain people better. Many teenagers tend to only know about 2 types of contraceptive, these being the pill and condoms.

Most contraceptive methods are aimed at girls, and currently there are only 2 male versions (and 13 female versions) out there, they are the male condom and male sterilisation (not recommended for any teenager). Currently only a condom will help to protect you against STDs and STIs.

What contraception methods are there?

• contraceptive injection – over 99% effective.
• contraceptive implant – over 99% effective.
• intrauterine system (IUS) – over 99% effective.
• intrauterine device (IUD) – over 99% effective.
• contraceptive vaginal ring – over 99% effective.
• contraceptive patch – 99% effective.
• combined pill – 99% effective.
• progestogen only pill – over 99% effective.
• male/female condom – 95 – 98% effective.
• diaphragm/cap with spermicide – 92 – 96% effective.
• emergency contraception methods
• contraception choices after a baby

What contraceptive should i use?

There are many places on the Internet that offer information on contraception, where they get their information from is unknown and how accurate it is is not known, so if you want accurate information on contraception methods be sure to get it from a trusted source such as the National Health Service (nhs.uk) or the Family Planning Association (fpa.org.uk). Or you could speak to your local GP or practise nurse who will talk you through the available options. (all our information is gathered from multiple sources).

The contraceptive method that you choose will depend on both your short term and long term options along with any existing health conditions.

How much does contraception cost?

You can usually pick up free contraception (at the very least this will be condoms) from your local contraceptive/sexual health clinic, some doctor surgeries also have sexual health services too. Also a lot of youth centres now offer free condoms.

If your in need of emergency contraception you can usually get this for free from most NHS walk in centres, some accident and emergency centres and some pharmacies. In each case you should try and phone ahead to ensure that they do offer the services that you need.

What is emergency contraception?

If you have had unprotected sex, or your method of contraception has failed (for e.g. a condom has split), you can use what is know as emergency contraception to further protect you against accidental pregnancy. Currently there are 2 types of emergency contraception.

The most commonly used is the emergency hormonal contraception (also know as the emergency contraceptive pill), this is a tablet that contains the hormone progestogen and must be taken within 72 hours (3 days) of having unprotected sex. The sooner the pill is taken, the more effective it will be.

The pill works by stopping or delaying the release of an egg, it may also stop a fertilised egg from implanting. The effectiveness of the pill ranges from 95% if taken within 24 hours to 58% if taken between 49-72 hours.

The other form of emergency contraception is a copper IUD, this must be fitted within 5 days after sex. It works like a normal IUD does and has a 99% effectiveness.

Breastfeed as a contraceptive

Yes its true that breastfeeding can also act as a contraceptive providing:

1. you are fully breastfeeding and
2. your baby is less than 6 months old and
3. you have no periods

We aim to be able to help with a variety of issues by posting advice articles that cover subjects such as teen relationships, sex, teen pregnancy, weight issues and health. You will also find informational pages on subjects such as drugs, contraception and sexual health.

We also aim to provide information on drug use, contraception, weight loss, healthy eating and STDs.

None of the myteenissues.com writers are trained professionals, with that said all articles are researched beforehand to ensure that the information that we post is as true and as accurate as possible.

If you are ever in doubt you should seek advice from a professional or a specialist as they are trained to deal with major problems (even minor ones too).

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We have also recently updated the website to allow for better interaction and to give the site more of a social network feel.

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Weight seems to be a big issue these days especially for teenagers. The media is telling us that the only way to be beautiful is to be slim, toned and size 8 or 10 (size 0 for you Americans), but what they fail to recognize is that not every one is naturally slim and have to work to get there which most people find extremely hard.

We should not be pressured by the media or our peers if your 100% happy with your body then don’t change a thing. However I do know there are a lot of teens who are not happy with there weight and want to change, which is why i am writing this to hopefully give you enough information for you to do something about it. If you are one of these people don’t think that you cannot acheive your target weight if you carry on hating your appearance it can lead to serious depression, you need to be motivated and positive to achieve your goal.

Regardless of what you read in this article you need to bear in mind that you are still teenagers and your bodies are still developing.

Your body mass index (bmi) will determine if your are either under weight, ideal, over weight or obese.

To work out what your Body Mass Index (BMI) is for your height and weight click on the link appropriate to your age.

• NHS - www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk (17 & under)

• BBC – www.bbc.co.uk (18 & over)

If the BMI says that you are either over weight or obese you should act on it (for health reasons alone). Please remember that both can lead to serious health problems such as:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diseases related to hardening of the arteries such heart attack as and stroke (cardiovascular disease).
• Type two diabetes
• Some types of cancer.

If the BMI says that you are under weight you can also be in danger of health problems such as:

• Weak immune system
• Anemia
• Hair loss
• Infertility
• Problems during pregnancy

How to loose the weight

The healthiest way to lose weight is neither crash diets nor bursts of exercise. Your body uses food for energy. It stores any excess energy as fat. This means if you eat more food than your body needs you will gain weight.

To lose weight, you need to get your body to use up the fat. The most effective way to do this is to:

• Reduce the amount of calories you eat.
  
• Increase your levels of activity.

To keep your weight down you will still need to eat less (unhealthy food) and/or do more physical activity than before. To keep off and maintain your weight you will still need to:

• Eat about 300 calories per day less than you did prior to the weight loss diet, or
• Do more physical activity to ‘burn up’ an extra 300 calories per day, or
• A combination of the two.

Try switching your foods to a healthier option for e.g white bread to wholemeal, coco pops to weetabix and a chocolate bar with either fruit or a cereal bar. When choosing your food check the nutritional info and take in consideration how much sugar, fat, saturates and calories it contains before consuming. Try eating smaller meals and snack portions and increase your fruit and vegetable portion also switch your fizzy drinks to water.

Exercise can play a very important role in your weight loss (should be easier for you because teens are more active than adults, although tiredness is a sign of an unhealthy diet) and you wont need to spend loads of money in a gym. Why not join a school activity such as dance, netball, football and hockey. If you dont live too far away try walking to school, shops and your friends house instead of a bus or getting your parents to give you a lift. Swimming is a good way to burn calories too.

Being Underweight

If you are underweight and want to put some weight on to bring you up to a healthier weight you need to take in more calories than you burn. Doing toning exercises helps, too. Make meals a little larger by adding an extra spoonful of pasta, rice or potato. Remember it is possible for a person to be underweight, but have an unhealthy amount of body fat, and this is just as dangerous as being overweight. So you will need to exercise and eat healthy foods just eat larger portions.

If you are finding it hard to either loose the weight or put weight on it might be good idea to consult a doctor as there could be something preventing you from achieving your target weight.

If you wish to avoid pregnancy, you should use contraception every time you have sex, however no contraception available is 100% effective and even while using contraception you can still get pregnant. To make things harder, some contraceptives can mess up your periods and can even make you skip periods (giving you the impression that you could be pregnant), to be sure, you should take a pregnancy test as soon as you can.

Pregnancy Test

You can buy pregnancy test in most Supermarkets and Chemist, some places will also offer free pregnancy test to teens, such as;

• Brook Centers (for under 25s) – tests are free with immediate results.
• Family planning clinics.
• Also some sexual health clinics may.

You can also have a pregnancy test done;

• With your GP.
• With any GP registering for family planning services only.
• Some Genito-Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinics.
• Chemists – they can do a test or sell a home pregnancy testing kit.

Home Pregnancy Test

Home pregnancy test (you ones you buy in a shop) come with instructions, and work by detecting the hormone levels in the woman’s urine.

Most pregnancy tests state that they work as soon as a period is late (i.e. one day). The majority of women do not continue to have normal periods when they are pregnant, some may experience some sort of period, but it will be lighter/shorter. For women that (before pregnancy) do not have a regular cycle it can be difficult to know when a period is due. It is recommended that you take the test three weeks after having unprotected sex. (its is roughly how long it takes for the hormone levels to show up on the test), any test taken before three weeks, could well lead to a false result.

If a test is negative (i.e. the woman is not pregnant) but the woman’s period still doesn’t arrive a week later, another test should be taken. Periods can be late for other reasons including stress, change of diet, or other health conditions. Women should seek medical advice if they are concerned.

Pregnancy Test: The Results

The sooner you find out whether or not you are pregnant, the better it is for you. If you do find out you are pregnant then congrats! However although you might still be in a bit of shock, you have an important time ahead of you, and this is one that could change your life forever. You should think long and hard about what is best for you, and your baby. If you decide to keep the baby, it is best to arrange ante-natal care with your doctor to check on the health of the baby and yourself. Abortion is also an option, but it is also important to act quickly if this option is taken. If you don’t believe in abortions, and decide you don’t want the baby, adoption is also an option once the baby is born.

Unplanned Pregnancy

It is likely that the pregnancy is an unplanned one (due to your age), and is common to feel shocked, scared, panicked, confused, embarrassed, isolated or lonely.

Parents, boyfriend and professionals are all there to help support and give you advice/information on the options available to you, but only you can make the choice to continue with the pregnancy or not. Its a decision that should be made based on what YOU want to do and what is best for you and the baby and not what others think you should do.

Simply defined, teenage pregnancy is the condition where a woman who is still under the age of 20 years old suddenly becomes pregnant, with or without a husband, boyfriend, or partner. True enough, there are a number of factors that may cause teenage pregnancy, although most of them dwell more on individual factors more than anything else. But then again, a lot of family issues and social problems can also be attributed as a good reason why our teens get pregnant at a young age.

Is The Childhood To Blame?

More often than not, the upbringing, culture, education, morals, beliefs, and religion of the teenager are the very factors affect her choice of whether or not to get pregnant and proceed to bear children at their present age. However, the mere use of the word “choice” here is certainly debatable. And much of it is due to the fact that a lot of teenagers who happen to be pregnant may not really have that option to choose a different scenario otherwise. There are also others that simply fail to understand the dire consequences of the situation that they are so blindly heading into.

Teenage Pregnancy Happens Worldwide

Teenage pregnancy is not just a problem in the UK or U.S. It is a rather sad fact that this has grown to become an issue across the world. All countries, no matter how big or how small, whether rich or poor, do have their own share of problems when it comes to their younger population having kids of their own. Countries like Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Denmark, had all once fought with issues dealing with teenage pregnancy. The statistics they acquire with regards to this problem each year is a telltale sign of their struggle.
Teenage mothers do not only impose high health risks to herself but to the child she is bearing as well. For a fact, teenage mothers have higher maternal and perinatal risks.

Is The Government To Blame?

Currently, the government works hard to discourage the rise of teenage pregnancy cases.
Poverty is the most common reason why teenagers get pregnant. Researches show that teenage parents are mostly concentrated among the poor, marginalized, and often radically segregated areas. High crime rate, inferior housing, poor school structures, and inadequate health services usually characterize the place they came from.

One other contributing factor of teenage pregnancy is the fact that the teen has once been subjected under a care or a foster home. A certain study indicated that those teens that had been placed these facilities at one point in time are more than twice as likely to be teenage mothers when compared to those who had been brought up by their natural or biological parents. Incidentally, the teenage girls who choose to leave their shelters have a 50% of becoming mothers in the next eighteen to twenty-four months.

Mothers who have poor educational achievement are also more likely to have pregnant teens. And in the same way, teens that drop out from school for no valid reason at all are set to become pregnant in the near future. Teenagers who are not in school, under training, or doesn’t have a job after the age of 16 years old are at also at a high chance of getting pregnant.

Now if the teenager is a daughter of a previously teenage mother herself, she is very likely to become just like her mother. This particular instance is very common – and much of it is because the daughter will see no harm in being one as her mother had been like it in the past. The idea that a daughter is likely to follow her mother, whether or not she looks up at her as a model, is very real.