Pregnancy - What you can do to prevent it!
Good birth control methods:
Abstinence
Birth control pills
Condoms
Depo-Provera
There are other types of birth control, but these are the ones most commonly used by teens.
Bad birth control methods:
Pulling out (coitus interruptus)
Douching
Having sex standing up
Having sex during your period
Abstinence
First and foremost, I am of the opinion that if you are at a point in your life where it would be a crisis if you became pregnant, or you got someone pregnant, then you shouldn't be having sex. Generally speaking, that's before the age of 18. It's a hard decision to make for many teens, because their bodies want to do one thing and maybe they aren't sure but there are pressures to do it, and pressures not to do it. For me, when I was a teenager, I totally based my decision on this one fact: I would FREAK if I got pregnant. It would RUIN MY LIFE. So I waited until I was 18. But, if you DON'T want to wait, far be it from me to withhold information. I would rather you were informed than ignorant, hence my reason for having this website in the first place.
Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills are little hunks of hormone that trick your body into not producing an egg every month. They work. Period. IF you take them correctly - meaning EVERY DAY at the SAME TIME EVERY DAY. You can't only take them when you have sex, that's not how they work. If you decide to go on the pill, you have to be totally sure you can make that sort of commitment. If not, you are going to end up pregnant. Period.
For teens, the Pill isn't always an option simply because it's hard to get - you have to have a doctor's prescription, which means your parents will probably know. They can also be expensive, and you have to take them all the time, even if you don't have sex for months.
Condoms
Condoms are the most common choice for many teens, and for good reason. Anyone can get them (they are available in any drug store or grocery store and you don't have to be a certain age to buy them). They are relatively inexpensive. And, most importantly, they work pretty well, if you be sure to follow the directions and use them correctly. I have ,pst a couple helpful hints when it comes to condoms. First of all, before you use them for the first time, or if you yourself have never put one on, go out and buy a box of 3 or 6 unlubricated condoms and practice - on yourself, or on something shaped like a penis - a banana or a thick carrot works well (use the base, not the pointy tip). GIRLS TOO! You should NOT depend that the guy is going to know how to put it on - I was surprised in my sexual exploits in college that many guys didn't know how to put one on. Second helpful hint: use "spermicidally lubricated" condoms for the real deal. The spermcide serves as back-up protection if the condoms happens to break or slip off during the act (it has happened to me, it could happen to you).
There are also condoms out there called "Reality" which are termed "female condoms." Instead of putting them on the guy, they are inserted in your vagina, with a ring holding it in place on the outside. They are really hard to describe, and I don't have any personal experience with them, but they work. If you cannot get your boyfriend or partner to use a condom, this might be a good alternative for you. They are generally available wherever you can buy regular condoms. Make sure you read the direction and practice using them.
Depo-Provera
Depo-Provera is not something that many teens have heard of, but it is one of the most effective birth control methods out there. Basically it's a shot that a girl gets once every three months, in the arm or buttock, and starting about 24 hours after you get the shot, you can't get pregnant. The effectiveness is amazing - it's not FOOLPROOF - but it works as good as the pill if you religiously get your shot every three months. It works by fooling your body into thinking you're pregnant - because you can't get pregnant when you're pregnant, if that makes sense to you. Your body stops producing eggs. It's also great because, unlike the pill, you don't have to remember to take it EVERY day.
There are a couple downsides to Depo - it can cause a little bit of weight gain - I'm talking like 2 pounds a year or something like that, but if you give up a dessert here and there you can totally combat that. Also, the spot where you get the shot is really sore for a few days. Lastly, you eventually stop getting your period. Again, if you're pregnant, you don't menstruate, so same with Depo. Some people consider this a God-send, and in a way it is - who LIKES getting their period!! But, I was on Depo for about a year and a half, and I didn't like not getting my period because I would get pregnancy panic attacks and so every month I would buy a pregnancy test and take it just to make sure. It depends on your personality, I guess, but overall, it's a great method.
Bad birth control methods:
Pulling out (coitus interruptus)
Douching
Having sex standing up
Showering after sex
Why are these bad??? Simply stated, they don't work!!!! Douching will only push the sperm closer to where you don't want them - the egg. Showering - well, the sperm's already up in there, you can't wash it away. If you stand during sex, perhaps maybe there's a slightly less chance of getting pregnant because some of the sperm might drip out, but most guys are like geysers when they ejaculate, and they can really blast the sperm up there, like a super soaker.
Pulling out before the guy orgasms is a far too commonly practiced birth control technique in teens, and it's the reason why many teenage girls end up pregnant. In theory, it makes sense. If the guy doesn't cum in you, you can't get pregnant. Right? WRONG!! You see, there are a few extenuating circumstances that make that untrue. First of all, guys can't always sense the moment their sperm will start to flow, so they might pull out a little late - either cumming a little inside the girl, or right on her genitals where the sperm can meander inside and get her pregnant. Second, if the guy pulls out, he will probably get some sperm on his hands, and if he then fondles the girl's clitoris or vaginal area with sperm on his hands... guess what! Pregnancy! Third, guys produce a few drops of what is normally known as "pre-cum" a few minutes before they ejaculate. There is sperm in this pre-cum, and oftentimes, a guy's pre-cum has a higher concentration of sperm than when he ejaculates. A guy can't feel that he has released these few drops of fluid, they just kinda leak out on their own. Lastly, it takes a LOT of willpower for a guy to pull out right at the moment of truth, and if he doesn't have the willpower, then he'll end up cumming inside the girl.
Sex during your period follows the same logic. You think to yourself, OK - my period serves to flush out the egg, so if I have sex during my period, I can't get pregnant. Right? Not really. There are a few faults with this logic. First of all, as a teenager, your body isn't always working like clockwork, which is why the rhythm method isn't always the best option for teens either. In the same token, you may ovulate during your period, or the period simply may not work to flush out the egg. And, for most of your period, the egg is simply still there!! It does reduce your risk very slightly, but only VERY SLIGHTLY. You should never have sex during your period as a means of birth control.
AND REMEMBER, IF YOU DON'T USE SOME SORT OF BARRIER PROTECTION - THAT IS, A REGULAR CONDOM OR FEMALE CONDOM, YOUR METHOD OF BIRTH CONTROL WILL NOT PROTECT YOU AGAINST STDs, INCLUDING AIDS, SYPHLLIS, AND GONORRHEA, ALL OF WHICH ARE NASTY THINGS INDEED. IF YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE - WHICH YOU NEVER EVER SHOULD BE - ALWAYS USE A CONDOM AS A SECOND MEANS OF BIRTH CONTROL, EVEN IF YOU'RE ON THE PILL OR DEPO OR ANY OF THAT. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE, LITERALLY.
You are visitor number: 
.
Click here for another good site about birth control