A leading group of American physicians advise that sexually active teen girls' best bet for birth control is either an IUD or a birth-control implant.
American physicians advise that the birth control pill might not be the best method of contraception for teen girls. ©Anna Dudnic/shutterstock.com
According to new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), more than 40 percent of teens in the US are sexually active, but fewer than one in 20 uses the most effective contraceptives.
"Intrauterine devices and the [birth-control] implant are the best reversible methods for preventing unintended pregnancy, rapid repeat pregnancy, and abortion in young women," the physicians wrote.
While condoms and birth-control pills are reliable birth control methods, their success relies on using them properly. Even missing one dose of a birth-control pill or taking it at the wrong time of day increases a woman's risk of pregnancy.
IUDs, however, can prevent pregnancy for up to 12 years once they are inserted into the uterus. Implants, which are matchstick-sized rods inserted into the arm, can last up to three years. Both methods can be removed at any time.
"Health care providers should consider long-acting reversible contraception methods for adolescents and help make these methods accessible to them," the guidelines say.
The new ACOG guidelines are to be published in the October issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.