Unwanted pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs which is not wanted, mostly by the woman or her partner. Of course their friends, families and others may also have an opinion on the pregnancy but that is different. An unwanted pregnancy is different from an unplanned pregnancy. A pregnancy can be unplanned, or unexpected, and the woman or her partner is very happy about it. And of course a pregnancy can also be both unplanned and unwanted. Lastly, an unwanted pregnancy is different from an early pregnancy, a pregnancy which takes place in a young girl whose body is not mature enough to handle it well, and who is also not emotionally ready to be a mother. An early pregnancy can be wanted or unwanted, planned or unplanned – but it is still a danger to the girl and her baby.
Causes of unwanted pregnancy
The following are possible factors leading to unwanted pregnancy:
· Early marriage
· Peer pressure
· S*xual experimentation
· Unavailability of family planning services
· Misinformation or myths on male/female s*xuality
· Fear or myths about contraceptive use
· Not using contraceptives
· Lack of knowledge or information
· Failure to use contraceptive methods properly
· Violence, such as rape and defilement
· Lack of ability to negotiate contraceptive use or safer s*x
Consequences of unwanted adolescent pregnancy
Social consequences of unwanted adolescent pregnancy
The social consequences of unwanted pregnancy are equally devastating. For a young girl, an unwanted pregnancy can be a disaster; she may be far from being emotionally ready to have a baby. Most adolescents who become pregnant are forced to drop out of school and may never return, affecting their future life negatively. Several of them may not even get married and establish a family. Besides, they may be shamed in families and communities. This may entail unstable and distressing emotional turmoil where the young girl may be tempted to illicitly terminate the pregnancy or resort to suicide. Quite a number of young girls in this situation may run away from home and end up as s*x workers and/or living in poverty with their children.
The girl’s partner often denies his responsibility for her condition. Child abandonment or neglect is also a common consequence of unwanted pregnancy.
· Remember, the boy/man bears equal responsibility for each and every pregnancy.
· If a boy/man is sexually active, he should be extremely responsible and careful.
· There are no safe days for adolescent girls and an early pregnancy could be dangerous for her health. It could be even worse for her future and for the future of the boy because both might have to end their studies to look after and support the baby.
Therefore, do not take risks. Practice safer s*x and make sure that you use contraception each and every time. If you do become a father, accept responsibility for your actions. Talk to your girlfriend about how the two of you can raise the child. Ask her how you can help her with her pregnancy (taking her to the doctor etc.). Even if you and her don’t have a close relationship, don’t run away - talk to her about how you can be involved in the child’s life.
Prevention of unwanted pregnancy
The following prevention strategies are suggested for clubs conducting peer education programs:
1. Increasing knowledge on reproductive systems
2. You should have adequate information about male and female reproductive systems, since poor knowledge about human s*xuality is one of the causes of unwanted pregnancy
3. Increasing the contraceptive knowledge.
4. Young people with poor knowledge about family planning practices run high risks of unwanted pregnancies. Even those with some rudimentary knowledge have fears and misconceptions about using contraceptive methods. Therefore, sufficient knowledge about contraception needs to be imparted to these high-risk groups.
5. Once the youth acquires adequate knowledge about family planning, the contraceptive methods should be made available to avoid unwanted pregnancy.
6. Use of emergency oral contraception.
7. Oral contraceptives taken in certain dosages and within a certain period of time after unprotected s*x can help avoid pregnancy. Emergency contraception will have no effect if implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus has already taken place. But, it should not be used if you are not certain if you are already pregnant or not, as it may interfere with fetal development. This method is less effective than other family planning methods and it should not be relied on routinely. For emergency contraceptives, young girls should consult health professionals.
8. Developing essential life skills.
9. Being young is wonderful but can be dangerous, and developing the essential life skills for the prevention of risky behaviour should be underlined (see Unit 6).
10. In the following sections, the facilitator should lead the participants to learn, explore and analyze the causes and effects of unwanted pregnancy; then have them seek solutions for preventing unwanted pregnancy.
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