Abstinence and STDs

FROM NBC: When teens say one thing, science might say another! In a survey of young adults, about 10-percent said they'd been abstinent for a year or had never had sex. However they also tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease.

Those who admitted to sexual activity were twice as likely to have an STD as those who said they'd been abstinent. But researchers say that discrepancy was actually small. There were more than 14-thousand young adults in the study.

Women and African Americans were most likely to test positive for an STD.

I would like to know when kids start having sex. I know we have ran stories about kids as young as 10-years-old, but that can't be normal. I wonder the average age these days. I am sure it's too young in my opinion. What do you think?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Teen Pregnancies are up

FROM NBC: After years of decline, the number of teen pregnancies in the U.S. rose in 2006. The question now is why -- and whether this increase signals a new, disturbing trend.

The teen years are a time of firsts -- first car, first love... and increasingly, first child. Heather Boonstra from the Guttmacher Institute said, "The teen pregnancy rates have actually jumped for the first time in the last few decades." A sexual and reproductive health think-tank called the Guttmacher Institute has released data that show the number of pregnant teens rose 3-percent in 2006. That's a reversal from sharp declines of more than 40-percent seen during the 1990's.

"That progress really came to a halt in the 2000s." The Institute's Heather Boonstra says a focus on abstinence-only sex education in the 2000's simply didn't work, and suggests adding birth control 101 to sex ed.

Heather Boonstra, Guttmacher Institute "Programs that teach about both actually show to help teens delay sexual activity, help them to have fewer sexual partners, and help them to use contraceptives more consistently."

Advocates for the abstinence-only programs say it's too simplistic to blame their message for the increase in teen pregnancies -- and instead cite a bombardment of the wrong messages from the media and pop culture... and no message at all from many parents who may be reluctant to talk about sex with their teens.

The new numbers echo previous data from the CDC, which found an uptick in the number of teens not only getting pregnant -- but carrying babies to full term. Heather Boonstra, Guttmacher Institute "An increase in teen birth rates could either mean that fewer teens are getting abortions, or it means that there are more pregnancies overall, and what this data show is that there are more pregnancies overall."

Indeed - the Guttmacher report also shows a 1-percent increase in teen abortions in 2006. The CDC is expected to release additional teen pregnancy data later this spring.

I find this alarming. What is going on? Is it cool or acceptable to be pregnant in high school these days? Why do you think more teenagers are getting pregnant?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Birth Control in High School?

Should high schools be handing out birth control? I keep thinking about my kids being in high school. Would that prevent them from getting an STD or getting a girl pregnant or would it encourage them to have sex earlier and more often? I wish I knew.

From ABC: City officials in Gloucester, Mass. have made a controversial decision in the wake of a pregnancy boom at Gloucester High School. The school committee voted to allow the distribution of birth control to students.

"Well, I don't think it was a good idea, but things happen," student Siennica Service said. She and many other students don't like the fact that contraceptives will now be distributed at Gloucester High School. "I really don't think it's needed. If they make a bad decision, that's their problem," Service said.

Other students disagree. "At least they're giving out condoms to everyone -- better than getting pregnant," freshman Corey Beal said. Seven school committee members voted unanimously Wednesday night to change the school's policy of not distributing contraceptives in the school's health clinic. "This is not going to be popular," School Committee member Gary Verga said.

School and city officials came under fire last year after 17 Gloucester students got pregnant. Principal Joseph Sullivan has since quit his job. The new principal spared few words. "We'll do what they tell us to do," Dr. Bill Goodwin said. "We'll carry out the wishes of the school committee." Now with parents' consent, students will be allowed access to a range of reproductive health services, including prescription contraceptives. Parents may opt out.

Imagine your kids going to this high school. Would you want birth control handed out in the health clinic?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Tells teens everything about sex?

From ABC News:

How much should we being telling teenagers about sex? New research suggests giving adolescents information about birth control may dramatically reduce the risk of teen pregnancy.

Researchers from the University of Washington examined results from a national survey of more than 1700 adolescents. Two-thirds of the teenagers reported receiving complete sex education, a quarter said they had received "abstinence only" classes, and 9 percent had no sex education at all.

Results showed those with the most comprehensive sex ed classes were 60 PERCENT less likely to get pregnant or impregnate someone than those who received NO sexual education. There was a modest trend toward reduced risk of pregnancy among kids who had abstinence only classes, but there were too few teenagers in these groups to allow for a meaningful comparison.

Another trend suggested teens who attended comprehensive classes were less likely to have sex - a finding researchers did NOT see for those who had abstinence only education. Experts say these results show that kids who have the MOST information about sex tend to make the best decisions.

This information is published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. What do you think? Should we be explaining the different forms of birth control to kids in middle school and high school freshman? Do you know any young girls who have gotten pregnant?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall teenage pregnancy rate for 2002 was estimated at 76.4 pregnancies per 1,000 females aged 15-19 years, down 10 percent from 2000.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen