May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

The Washoe County Health District offers a variety of family planning services to prevent teen pregnancy.

May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, and local health officials remind residents that Washoe County continues efforts to reduce teen and unintended pregnancy, while promoting women’s health. The Washoe County Health District offers a variety of family planning services through their Family Planning Clinic and Teen Health Mall.  Services include: physical examinations; counseling, education about sexuality and risks of sexually transmitted diseases; pregnancy testing and referral; and, contraception and contraception counseling. For an appointment or more information, call 775-328-2470 or visit www.washoecounty.us/teenhealthmall.

The most current information available from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unintended Pregnancy indicates that the nation's teen pregnancy rate has declined 42% over the past two decades and the teen birth rate has been cut nearly in half.  There have been impressive declines in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups.  Despite this progress, nearly 30% of teenage girls get pregnant by age 20. 

According to health officials, 43.8% of high school students in Nevada reported having had sexual intercourse.  Of those sexually active high school students, 84% reported using a method of contraception the last time they had sexual intercourse. Nonetheless, nearly all teen pregnancies are unplanned. 

A major study reports that teenage mothers tend to have more physical and psychological problems, less stable employment, and greater reliance on social assistance including welfare. It also indicated that teenage mothers have higher poverty rates, lower graduation rates, and more marital and relationship instability. Children born to teen mothers are more likely to face challenges as well, such as: low birth weight, poverty, living in single-parent homes, abuse and neglect, trouble with school achievement, and being at risk for becoming teen parents. Visit www.thenationalcampaign.org for the complete study.

An interactive on-line quiz is available for teens that will give them the chance to better predict sexually high risk situations that may arise in the future.  This allows teens time to consider options in advance of unexpected circumstances thus encouraging them to be better prepared.  Visit www.stayteen.org for more information.

Washoe County Health District is now on social media.  Like our “Sexual Health Program – Washoe County Health District” Facebook page or follow us on Twitter at “Sexual Health (@SexualHealthWC) for information on sexual health and wellness.  These pages will target teen pregnancy prevention throughout the month of May.

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About Washoe County Health District: The Washoe County District Board of Health, through the Washoe County Health District, has jurisdiction over all public health matters in Washoe County, Nevada. Its mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Washoe County through health promotion, disease prevention, public health emergency preparedness, and environmental services. The Board of Health is composed of seven members, including two representatives each from Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County, and a physician licensed to practice medicine in Nevada.