Barriers to Health Care For Teen Pregnancy
Although teen pregnancy rates have been declining in the past, it is
unruffled a trend that is disturbing. With some having sex as early as
11-12 years of age, the chances of a teen pregnancy are increased. With
teen pregnancy comes the need for health care. Unfortunately, there are
many barriers to health care for a teen pregnancy.
Education is a must
One of these barriers to health care for the pregnant teen is education.
Schools do not educate students about their bodies and the map they work.
Parents tend to be downhearted about discussing sex education matters
with their teens, so any information the teen may regain usually comes
from their peers. This is not usually an effective means of gathering
fair information.
Financial Barriers
Another barrier to health care for teen pregnancy is income, or the lack
of it. Health care is prohibitively expensive for many adults, and even a
teen with working parents may not have access to health insurance. When a
parent has to settle between rent and food or health insurance, the
medical needs are often overlooked. With access to education about
pregnancy, and clinics available for teens with no health insurance,
there might be a rise in teens seeking out medical care for themselves
and their unborn child.
Along with inadequate health insurance and improper income parents, teens
may face lack of transportation to a health care facility. Many 2 income
families have one car, and no attend system to turn to in times of need.
Often health care is not available within a reasonable distance, or there
may be no gas for the second car. Even if there is transportation
available, a parent may not be able to come by time off from work to
occupy the pregnant teen to the doctor, providing the parent is aware of
the pregnancy in the first situation.
Shame and Fear
This brings us to another barrier to health care for teen pregnancy.
Shame and fright in a teenager can be a distinguished motivator for many
actions they select. Shame for being pregnant, and alarmed of the
consequences they may face from a parent can influence a teenager in many
ways. One coping skill that stems from these feelings is not admitting to
the pregnancy, even to themselves. This, of course, can lead to the teen
not receiving any health care until she has progressed far into her
pregnancy. This only sets the teen up for possible complications down the
road for her and her baby.
With education of parents and teens together, perhaps we can overcome
these barriers to health care for our pregnant teens. Communication for
all can be a suitable first step in providing access to health care for
both the mother and her unborn child.