Implants and IUDs Better than Pills For Teenage Girls

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists doctors should suggest IUDs or hormonal implants rather than the pill or the patch for teenage girls as they are long-lasting and more effective birth control that you don't have to remember to use every time.

The IUD and implants are safe and nearly 100 percent effective at preventing pregnancy, and should be "first-line recommendations," the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in updating its guidance for teens.

The gynecologists group said condoms should still be used at all times because no other birth control method protects against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

In 21 states, all teenagers can get contraceptives without parental permission, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks laws affecting women's health. A few other states allow it under certain circumstances.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has been more cautious and has not endorsed specific methods of birth control, but is updating its guidance. Some pediatricians have been reluctant to recommend IUDs for teens, partly because of concerns over infection risks; an older model was blamed for infertility.

Dr. Paula Braverman, a University of Cincinnati physician involved in updating the academy's position, said the gynecologists' advice does a good job of clarifying misconceptions about IUDs and implants.

 "The ones on the market today are extremely safe," Dr. Mary Fournier, an adolescent-medicine specialist at Chicago's Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, who praised the new recommendations, said in a statement. "That is what everybody should be telling their patients."

She said she already recommends IUDs for her patients and is being trained in how to insert birth control implants.

Raine-Bennett, research director for women's health at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., said she gets mixed reactions from her patients about both methods.

"Some of them say, 'Great! Something that I don't have to think about.' Others are, like, 'Hmmm, something in my body?' It really varies," she said.

Doctors need to be sensitive to that and provide detailed information to dispel any myths and allow teens to make informed decisions," Raine-Bennett said.