Scarleteen

Hello,
I have been sexually active about a year, but I’m not on birth control. I want to be, but my mom rejects it anytime I bring it up. My older sister has been on it for a while to control her periods, but she won’t put me on it (my sister is lesbian, I’m straight so..). I have irregular periods myself, so everytime I have sex I start freaking out thinking I’m going to be a teen mom. I don’t have sex very often because of this, maybe once a month or so, but it’s enough to cause me soooo much anxiety. Would I actually be okay if I just stick to using condoms? Would that actually be effective enough to prevent me from pregnancy? My mom said she “worked very hard” not to get pregnant as a teen, and I know girls having sex without birth control or condoms (just pull out) that have been doing fine for a while. What would you recommend I do?

Chances are good you can access most birth control methods without your parent's permission or help. By all means, condoms, used properly, can work very effectively as a single method. However, dual contraception (using two methods, like condoms + a patch) works even better, and more to the point, you clearly would prefer having a second method.

So, want to talk about your options in seeking out BC for yourself?