Oh Sh*t - I'm PREGNANT
How Easy Is It To Get Pregnant?
Any time you have sex without protection is like a game of Russian roulette. Even if it is not the woman's ovulation time, the sperm can stay inside the woman, alive, and wait for the egg to come down the fallopian tubes for up to 5 days, whie the egg can survive up to 2 days; this means sometimes the window of almost certain pregnancy with unprotected sex can be a week long.
Impact of Bringing the Fetus to Term (having the baby)
Teen pregnancy is a life-altering event that affects several dimensions of a person’s life. It is much harder on the woman than it is on the man, as your body -- which is still growing and developing -- starts to quickly change in order to house a new person.
It changes how people look at you and treat you. It feels overwhelming and impossible to handle. Besides the very personal, immediate effects, there are also long-term effects that can make your life in the future much more difficult.
Education: According to the newest Statistics Canada polls, around 81% of all females (of all ages) complete high school. If you look at the percentage of pregnant teens that have the child, however, that rate drops to less than 50%. The long term focus becomes working and providing for the child, which alters paths and possibilities down the road.
Body Changes: The body is still developing during the teen years, which can lead to specific health risks such as pregnancy complications, lower than average birth weight and preterm (before the right time) birth. Pregnancy also demands nutrients from the body, such as extra CALCIUM to grow a fetus' bones, extra IRON for red blood cells (the volume of blood in a pregnant increases by over 20%!), and extra FOLATE, which is crucial for brain and spinal chord development. Taking prenatal multivitamins is mandatory for pregnant people, and even more important for teens who are still themselves growing.
Social Changes: You ma lose some friends as both your priorities change overnight. You will have little time for yourself, and so it will be hard to keep friendships.
Mental Health: The stress of balancing all the things in your life, such as school, your partner, money, social expectations and parenting, have a high likelihood to have an effect on your mental health. Rates of post-partum depression and anxiety are very high in teen pregnancies.
It changes how people look at you and treat you. It feels overwhelming and impossible to handle. Besides the very personal, immediate effects, there are also long-term effects that can make your life in the future much more difficult.
Education: According to the newest Statistics Canada polls, around 81% of all females (of all ages) complete high school. If you look at the percentage of pregnant teens that have the child, however, that rate drops to less than 50%. The long term focus becomes working and providing for the child, which alters paths and possibilities down the road.
Body Changes: The body is still developing during the teen years, which can lead to specific health risks such as pregnancy complications, lower than average birth weight and preterm (before the right time) birth. Pregnancy also demands nutrients from the body, such as extra CALCIUM to grow a fetus' bones, extra IRON for red blood cells (the volume of blood in a pregnant increases by over 20%!), and extra FOLATE, which is crucial for brain and spinal chord development. Taking prenatal multivitamins is mandatory for pregnant people, and even more important for teens who are still themselves growing.
Social Changes: You ma lose some friends as both your priorities change overnight. You will have little time for yourself, and so it will be hard to keep friendships.
Mental Health: The stress of balancing all the things in your life, such as school, your partner, money, social expectations and parenting, have a high likelihood to have an effect on your mental health. Rates of post-partum depression and anxiety are very high in teen pregnancies.
Acting Quickly
The longer you wait, the harder it will be to get an abortion. It is important doing it as soon as you can, as soon as 4 or 6 weeks after the day you were supposed to have a period.
The reason for this is more complex than you think. Not only you can avoid the stress of people knowing, of stopping school, or of having your body start changing too quickly, there is a hidden cause to be speedy.
During the first trimester of pregnancy, your body is going to try to help you bond and keep the fetus by releasing a bunch of hormones into your bloodstream. These will progressively make it much harder for a pregnant person to make informed and logical decisions. They are designed to make the pregnancy stable and to help you bond with the fetus. The more you wait, the less it will make sense for you to abort the baby; will this be your decision, then, or just hormones taking over?
The reason for this is more complex than you think. Not only you can avoid the stress of people knowing, of stopping school, or of having your body start changing too quickly, there is a hidden cause to be speedy.
During the first trimester of pregnancy, your body is going to try to help you bond and keep the fetus by releasing a bunch of hormones into your bloodstream. These will progressively make it much harder for a pregnant person to make informed and logical decisions. They are designed to make the pregnancy stable and to help you bond with the fetus. The more you wait, the less it will make sense for you to abort the baby; will this be your decision, then, or just hormones taking over?
The Hormones
- Oxytocin: Crucial for fostering an exclusive, loving bond between the mother and the baby. It starts getting released as soon as the egg implants, and the levels rise during pregnancy.
- Progesterone: Often referred to as the hormone of pregnancy, progesterone levels increase dramatically to sustain the pregnancy. It prepares the uterus, suppresses the maternal immune system to prevent rejection of the fetus, and keeps the uterine muscles relaxed to "hold" the baby to full term.
- Prolactin: Prolactin increases during pregnancy to prepare the body for breastfeeding, but it also plays a significant role in nurturing behaviors, such as initiating "maternal motivation" and intense protective instincts.
DECISIONS
When your period is late, there is no time to delay.
You must get a pregnancy test as soon as you notice the delay, or rather, get three of them to make sure. Then, confirm it with one of the youth clinics mentioned in the testing page. If you are pregnant, being quick to find out will help you make decisions and have choices.
You must get a pregnancy test as soon as you notice the delay, or rather, get three of them to make sure. Then, confirm it with one of the youth clinics mentioned in the testing page. If you are pregnant, being quick to find out will help you make decisions and have choices.
1. Keeping the Pregnancy
This will require a support system and a plan of action.
A good place to get started would be this page from Fraser Health, which will help you navigate labour, birth options, breastfeeding and infant care. They have classes and other resources to support you.
Always look for local non-profits or youth health centers that specialize in teen pregnancy. They often provide resources ranging from medical care to baby supplies and legal advice.
A good place to get started would be this page from Fraser Health, which will help you navigate labour, birth options, breastfeeding and infant care. They have classes and other resources to support you.
Always look for local non-profits or youth health centers that specialize in teen pregnancy. They often provide resources ranging from medical care to baby supplies and legal advice.
2. Not Keeping the Pregnancy
If you are not keeping the pregnancy, then you have options.
1. Abortion -- Please see the Youth Clinics under Testing to see the address and phone number of one of the discreet, free clinics our area has available for you.
If you are somewhere else in BC, this is the page to find out where a free youth clinic is located next to you.
Terminating the pregnancy has a timeline.
In BC, you can have an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy (unless there are special circumstances that endanger the life of the mother, which are decided on a case-by-case basis.
2. Adoption -- If you want to have the child but not keep it, then there are options for you as well. The Youth Clinics may be able to refer you to an adoption centre, or you may be able to find a reputable one around your area.
3. Guardianship -- It is legal in British Columbia for a trusted person, such as a family member, to take on legal guardianship or temporary care of a baby (including babies of teen mothers) without adoption. Under BC's Family Law Act, temporary arrangements can be made to provide care while maintaining the teen mother's status as the legal parent
1. Abortion -- Please see the Youth Clinics under Testing to see the address and phone number of one of the discreet, free clinics our area has available for you.
If you are somewhere else in BC, this is the page to find out where a free youth clinic is located next to you.
Terminating the pregnancy has a timeline.
In BC, you can have an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy (unless there are special circumstances that endanger the life of the mother, which are decided on a case-by-case basis.
2. Adoption -- If you want to have the child but not keep it, then there are options for you as well. The Youth Clinics may be able to refer you to an adoption centre, or you may be able to find a reputable one around your area.
3. Guardianship -- It is legal in British Columbia for a trusted person, such as a family member, to take on legal guardianship or temporary care of a baby (including babies of teen mothers) without adoption. Under BC's Family Law Act, temporary arrangements can be made to provide care while maintaining the teen mother's status as the legal parent
