Teen Health   "Many young women say that they used alcohol - or were even drunk - when they first had sex. And many of these same young women say that they were so drunk that they were unable to use birth control (especially condoms) properly at the time. In one study of unplanned pregnancies in 14-21 year olds, 1/3 of the girls who had gotten pregnant had been drinking when they had sex; 91% of them reported that the sex was unplanned." Flanigan, B., Mclean, A., Hall, C., & Propp, V. (Alcohol use as a situational influence on young women's pregnancy risk-taking behaviors. Adolescence, 25: 205-214.)   "Sexually experienced teens who average five or more drinks daily are three times less likely to use condoms." Hingson, R.W., Struhin, L., Berlin, B.M. & Heeren, T. (Beliefs about AIDS, use of alcohol and drugs, and unprotected sex among Massachusetts adolescents. American Journal of Public Health, 80, 295-299.) Teen Pregnancy Drawing from one of many personal encounters, a young teenager 15 years old came into my office for late prenatal care at 20 weeks of gestation. She looked so innocent, yet terrified of what was happening to her. I reassured her that she was doing the right thing by coming in for prenatal care, and made her feel comfortable at her first visit. We finally finished the physical exam, including her first pap smear experience and had discussed the importance of prenatal care. Then, I asked her about her partner (the father of the baby), she began to cry and said "he found out I was pregnant and ran away." She admits that he was her first sexual partner and only "did it" once, and she got pregnant. I asked her about her family support, and asked the parents to come into my office. Her mom was in tears with her husband next to her with his arms crossed. -More- The Economic Impact of Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy not only affects the teen mother, but it affects her child and her family. It also impacts our healthcare dollars. There are over 1 million teen pregnancies each year, which runs in the billions of dollars spent in the care of these pregnancies. In addition, we are only talking about normal pregnancies. Complications of pregnancies, which occur often in a teen, will result in a more costly economic consequence. Taking care of a premature infant in a hospital can easily cost $100,000 per neonate depending on the severity of the prematurity and complications. -More-   Real Life Teen Pregnancy Stories Being a Teen Mom is not an easy road to take. Here are some real life stories of what it's like to be a teen mom (and dad). I would like to extend a special thank you to all the teens who have taken this extra step in sharing their story with other teens. I am sure that other teenagers appreciate learning from your experiences. Read Their Stories