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Contraceptive experience and attitudes to motherhood of teenage mothers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Bernard Ineichen
Bernard Ineichen
Affiliation:
Department of Child Health, University of Bristol
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Summary

Sexual experience is increasingly common among teenagers. Evidence suggests that while many teenage pregnancies are unintended, teenagers remain less than totally effective users of contraception. Among a sample of 102 teenage mothers, only two-thirds had ever used contraception, although only a quarter of the pregnancies were planned. About half of the teenagers were upset on hearing the initial news of the pregnancy; half of these had been using the pill, which in many cases had been given up without another form of contraception substituted. These girls present a formidable challenge to providers of contraceptive services, especially in view of the restricted opportunities available to working-class girls.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , October 1986 , pp. 387 - 394
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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