Boarding Schools for Girls

A rattled mother wrote to an advice column in the Calgary Sunasking for help with her adolescent daughter's question about birth control. The woman's 14-year-old daughter had just asked to be put on the pill because shed heard it makes "that time of the month" less uncomfortable. The mom was unsure how to respond.

The advice columnist advised the mother that the most important concern isn't the specific topic of the conversation, but the overall quality of the relationship she has with her daughter -- a relationship that can be improved by not over-reacting to what might at first feel like an unsettling question:

The most important thing here is the relationship you have with your daughter. The best thing you can do is first educate yourself, so that as a parent, you help her make decisions based on your knowledge and understanding, while ensuring you are still (somewhat) holding the reins of your not-yet-adult child.

The columnist suggested that daughter and mother visit the family doctor together, where the daughter can ask questions and get more information -- not just about the pill, but about other concerns related to teen sexual activity, such as teens and sexually transmitted diseases.

Labels: parenting, sex, adolescents, contraception

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will not challenge a court order that requires it to ease restrictions on access to Plan B, the so-called "morning after" contraception pill. As a result of this decision, 17-year-olds will soon be able to purchase the drug without a prescription.

An April 23 article by Reuters writer Susan Heavy reported that 17-year-olds should have access to the medication within the year, a decision that was hailed by womens health and reproductive rights advocates:

The FDA on [April 22] said it would allow nonprescription access to 17-year-olds as soon as it received necessary information from the drug's maker, Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc, now part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Teva said it would comply with FDA's request, but it could still take 10 months before the drug is available without a prescription for younger buyers.

Women's health advocates cheered the FDA's decision, with some adding that access should be loosened even more, to allow shelf sales without age restrictions. They along with company officials argue it is critical for women to have quick access to the drug, which aims to prevent pregnancy when used within 24 hours of sexual intercourse.

The FDA decision was announced less than six months after two studies documented an increase in the prevalence of sexual behavior among teens and adolescents.

Labels: health, teenagers, sex, contraception, medications

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