Pregnancy: General Pregnancy And Pregnancy Prevention Questions/Concerns / Question
Published: April 2, 2008
Dear TeenHealthFX,
My boyfriend and I just started having sex, and I lost my virginity to him and I'm only 13. I don't know anything about knowing if I'm prgenant, what to do if I am, how to tell, or anything. My boyfriend said though If I am or do get pregnant, he wants to keep it and would do every bit to help me with it and take care of it. Can you please give e advie? signed - 13 & confused
Signed: I Don't Know Anything About Knowing If I'm Pregnant
Dear I Don't Know Anything About Knowing If I'm Pregnant,
TeenHealthFX is very concerned that you and your boyfriend are sexually active at the age of thirteen. This a very young age to be sexually active as generally there has not been the physical and emotional growth by the age of thirteen to deal with the various aspects of being sexually active. In addition, as you are currently dealing with, there is often a lack of adequate education for teens and pre-teens about being sexually active – practicing safe sex, having a full understanding about pregnancy and preventing unwanted pregnancies, understanding how the body works, etc. Finally, while FX thinks that it certainly chivalrous of your boyfriend to want you to have a baby and to say he will step up to the plate to take care of you both – it is not a very realistic plan to say the least, and there is more to raising a baby than good intentions. There is so much knowledge, emotional readiness, and financial stability required to be able to take care of a baby in a healthy way – and at thirteen, FX has a hard time imagining how the two of you could really do this on your own in a way where you will all be able to grow and develop in a healthy, happy way.
That said, FX thinks that three things are very important here:
- The first is to meet with a doctor to discuss testing to determine whether you are pregnant, as well as for the presence of any STDs as FX is assuming you did not practice safe sex.
- Second, FX strongly encourages you to think about how ready you really are to be having sex right now. Are you really educated enough about what you need to know, and are you physically, emotionally, and financially ready to deal with possible consequences of being sexually active such as getting pregnant or contracting an STD?
- Third, if you decide to continue to have sex, FX thinks that it is very important to educate yourself on safer sex practices – and to speak to a medical health professional about using condoms to protect against pregnancy and STDs, as well as using a back-up birth control method, such as the pill, to protect against unwanted pregnancies.
To learn more about signs and symptoms of being pregnant and what to do if you worry you may be pregnant, please read “How Do I Know If I’m Pregnant,” “Symptoms of Pregnancy,” and “Pregnancy Tests” under the Pregnancy section of Sexuality and Sexual Health. To learn more about protecting yourself from unwanted pregnancies and the transmission of STDs, please read “Updated Birth Control Information” under the birth Control Methods of Sexuality and Sexual Health.
If you don't have a doctor and live in northern
Signed: TeenHealthFX
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