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Should Teens Take Birth Control

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Should Teens Take Birth Control
“625,000 teens became pregnant in 2010.” (Kaplan) Birth control is available to any teenager without parental consent in almost all states, excluding Texas and Utah. Teen girls should be able to have access to birth control without parental consent because it helps prevent teen pregnancy, it prevents young women from having to give their child up for adoption or having an abortion, and there are other benefits to taking hormonal contraceptives besides preventing pregnancy. About three in ten American teens get pregnant before they reach twenty years old, which adds up to roughly 750,000 teen pregnancies every year. (Kost) If more teens were aware of the fact that birth control is available to them, with or without parent consent, then maybe …show more content…
Some of the main reasons for taking birth control pills are to treat the following: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which causes irregular menstrual cycles, acne, and excess hair growth, and amenorrhea, or the lack of periods (YoungWomensHealth.org). Oftentimes, when birth control pills are prescribed for medical reasons, other than preventing pregnancy, then it is for severe cramps or heavy menstrual cycles. Birth control pills “contain one or two types of synthetic (man-made) female hormones, estrogen and progestin.” which helps a female get the hormones that her ovaries may not be making enough of (YoungWomensHealth.org). Even though a teen may be taking birth control pills for other medical reasons, it still has its side effects such as: irregular periods, nausea, headaches, mood changes, breakouts, and many more. However, most women usually have very little to no negative side effects. When taking birth control, the chances of having or getting anemia are lowered because there is less menstrual bleeding, and they also lower the chances of getting endometrial (uterus lining) cancer, ovarian cancer, and ovarian cysts (YoungWomensHealth.org). While birth control pills may be used for preventing pregnancy or other medical reasons, it does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases

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