title: Teenagers requesting pregnancy termination are no less responsible about contraceptive use at the time of conception than older women.
abstract: Teenage contraceptive use is often perceived as irresponsible, and Government initiatives are aimed at improving this. This prospective observational cohort study examined contraceptive use in 925 women requesting termination of pregnancy (TOP) and found that usage in all women, regardless of age, was poor with no difference between age groups. These findings challenge frequently made assumptions about irresponsible contraceptive use and imply that contraceptive education, and initiatives to tackle the growing number of TOPs, should not be confined to teenagers but should start in early adolescence and must continue well in to adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Women's Health Unit, and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaudoin
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012606:Scotland; D012941:Social Responsibility