04:28
Faizan
Navigating the teen years would be difficult enough if all you had to deal with were school and friends. When you add in sexuality, things get even more complicated. Adolescents struggle with a number of issues related to sex, including how to use birth control and how to come out about sexual orientation. The more resources they have for answering their questions and protecting their health, the better.
Websites
Teenagers turn to the internet for the answers to most of their questions. Thankfully, there are a number of websites where they can find accurate, unbiased sex education information. Scarleteen.org bills itself as "Sex Ed for the Real World," and it offers info on topics ranging from birth control to dating to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) mental health. Cable TV channel MTV offers ItsYourSexLife.com, where celebrities from the network's shows offer sex advice, primarily about pregnancy and STD prevention. LGBT teens should head to CDC.gov/LGBThealth, where they'll find an extensive list of resources for queer teens compiled for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health Clinics
Some teenagers don't feel comfortable talking to their parents about birth control, but they know they need it. This is where community health clinics such as Planned Parenthood step in. Teens can go to any Planned Parenthood clinic unaccompanied and receive confidential birth control services and STD testing, whether or not they are able to pay. Access to abortion services through Planned Parenthood varies by state. If there is no Planned Parenthood in your area, a local community health clinic may provide reproductive health care to teens.
LGBT Organizations
The challenges of being a gay or transgendered teen might include him feeling as if he doesn’t fit in -- particularly if his religion or his society looks down on people who have a gay gender orientation. To help kids cope, some high schools have gay-straight alliances, and many communities have PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meetings for both parents and teens. The PFLAG group in your area can also help you find other resources, such as medical or psychological services. Go to PFLAG.org and click on "Find a Chapter" for meeting locations and times. If you need HIV testing or services, your local community health center or Planned Parenthood can provide them.
Teen Pregnancy Services
Teen girls who find themselves pregnant are in critical need of resources. Besides the obvious need for prenatal care, teens who choose to parent need access to parenting classes and financial planning information if they are to have any chance of finishing school. Those who choose adoption need a qualified adoption counselor, while those who chose abortion need safe, legal medical care. The first order of business for a pregnant teen is to find a medical provider who can confirm she is pregnant, schedule follow-up prenatal care and point her toward the appropriate social-service organizations if she chooses to continue the pregnancy.
Websites
Teenagers turn to the internet for the answers to most of their questions. Thankfully, there are a number of websites where they can find accurate, unbiased sex education information. Scarleteen.org bills itself as "Sex Ed for the Real World," and it offers info on topics ranging from birth control to dating to LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) mental health. Cable TV channel MTV offers ItsYourSexLife.com, where celebrities from the network's shows offer sex advice, primarily about pregnancy and STD prevention. LGBT teens should head to CDC.gov/LGBThealth, where they'll find an extensive list of resources for queer teens compiled for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health Clinics
Some teenagers don't feel comfortable talking to their parents about birth control, but they know they need it. This is where community health clinics such as Planned Parenthood step in. Teens can go to any Planned Parenthood clinic unaccompanied and receive confidential birth control services and STD testing, whether or not they are able to pay. Access to abortion services through Planned Parenthood varies by state. If there is no Planned Parenthood in your area, a local community health clinic may provide reproductive health care to teens.
LGBT Organizations
The challenges of being a gay or transgendered teen might include him feeling as if he doesn’t fit in -- particularly if his religion or his society looks down on people who have a gay gender orientation. To help kids cope, some high schools have gay-straight alliances, and many communities have PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) meetings for both parents and teens. The PFLAG group in your area can also help you find other resources, such as medical or psychological services. Go to PFLAG.org and click on "Find a Chapter" for meeting locations and times. If you need HIV testing or services, your local community health center or Planned Parenthood can provide them.
Teen Pregnancy Services
Teen girls who find themselves pregnant are in critical need of resources. Besides the obvious need for prenatal care, teens who choose to parent need access to parenting classes and financial planning information if they are to have any chance of finishing school. Those who choose adoption need a qualified adoption counselor, while those who chose abortion need safe, legal medical care. The first order of business for a pregnant teen is to find a medical provider who can confirm she is pregnant, schedule follow-up prenatal care and point her toward the appropriate social-service organizations if she chooses to continue the pregnancy.
Posted in: Teen Dating & Sex
