I am the mother of 12 and 13 year old girls.I recently took my 13 year old in to be put on birth control.She does not give me much trouble.She is just very mature for her age(physicaly and mentally).she didn't have a problem with it because she knew it would help keep her on a regulated cycle. I just wanted to be on the safe side. The doctor told me that these days they prefer to wait till they are 18 OR sexualy active.I was floored! A little too late them dont you think. Any oppinions?

I have 4 girls, they were all teenagers at the same time!!! They got the full sex talk and got to know some girls that had babies before they got out of High School. Scared my girls enough that none of them had kids before they were married. We discussed it, and my opinion was that to give them birth control at that age was tantamount to saying "go ahead and have sex". I know some parents disagree, but that wasn't the message I wanted to send.

While I can admire what you are trying to do; safeguard against pregnancies and regulate their menstrual cycles. I would not do it.

I'd rather provide the information, guidance and resources than put a 12 or 13 year old to take hormonal drugs. Just my opinion, to each their own.

That is a little young. I know girls who were put on it at 15 and 16 to control acne like outbreaks but as it being with the intent of BC no. Teach them to keep their legs closed whole in school at least! instead of focusing their lives on boys and relationships they should be focusing on making something of themselves first!

Depending on what method of birth control you're using, there is a high risk that the drugs can make it difficult for your daughters to conceive even once they're ready to try.

I tend to be a firm believer in the idea that solutions to life's problems don't come "in a pill" (speaking metaphorically and literally).

Being involved in your kids' lives and setting a good example are still the best medicine for what ails kids.

Good luck with that!

i had my daughter at 19
and my daughter had her son at 14 (2months before she turned 15) and had her 2nd at 17. she now 26 with 3 kids her youngest is 3yrs old. she was with there dad off and on for 10yrs. and they were married 1yr bfore they separated she now has filed for divorce so waiting for that to go through..and if you dont know this, in most states if your 3yrs or older its declared sagitary(however you spell it) rape. he was told not to see her after he turned 18 but yet they did... the state knew where he lived and worked but didnt arrest him untill 1yr after my grandson was born.. he was in jail for 1yr and the week he got out my daughter got pg with her 2nd child.she graduated 1yr early had her 2nd child the day before she graduated.he went back to jail for 6months after she found out she was pg with her 2nd...he would had been off probation and everything cleared last yr in may.but of course he got in trouble with his brother, i had told my daughter i had a feeling he would get in trouble before his probation was up and i was right, he got in trouble 7 days before he was off probation.. thats his mistake..

i went to a teen mothers school, as where the youngest girl that was there had her daughter 7months before she turned 13... and yea she kept her child...

the youngest i have heard about was over 20yrs ago was a 10yr old that gave birth to twins and she kept them

My oldest daughter was 16 when I took her for her 1st gyn appt. She had extremely bad cramps during her cycle so I asked the dr to put her on birth control pills to help. I told her and the dr that I was in no way giving her the go ahead to start having sex. It was done for medical reasons. I have always talked openly to my kids about sex and continue to do so. I think that having open communication with your kids is a cornerstone in preventing them from becoming sexually active early. Not just telling them "Don't do it" but to really talk to them about what sex is all about.

But how can u set a good example? in regards to wat age to have sex??

I had my first son a couple of months before my 19th birthday...which is quite young, but how can i set by example??

I have 2 boys, 17 and 13, and just recently, i found condoms in my youngest sons pocket. I was rather shocked and told him i found them.....his response was this:
"Wouldnt u rather i had them on me than not?" to which i couldnt really argue!

But i did remind him that he is only 13, and that sexual activity is not something to be rushed into.

Teenagers r discovering themselves at this age, and their hormones r all over the place, i think it would be very hard to stop them trying things sexually. All we can do imo, is remain open as parents to discuss these things with our kids, and hope they take on board our advice.

*edit, whoops! i never answered original Q! I would say that its better to be safe than sorry, and if its gonna help regulate her cycle i dont see the harm. I think 18 is way too late (and idealistic) to give a young lady birth control. As i said, teenagers will be teenagers, its a time of self discovery, and try as hard as we might, we may not be able to control wat they do outwith the house.

If not medically necessary or for the girls health I truly think 12 and/or 13 is too young to have a young girl taking hormonal drugs.

Most girls at that don't have regular cycles, it's not that big a deal, unless it's causing physical problems. Birth control pills, while helpful, also have a huge list of side effects, some of which can be long-lasting and permanent. If not absolutely necessary, I wouldn't for my daughter. JMO

And while I realize this may be unrealistic, 13 is far too young to be having sex or even thinking about having sex. If this is truly a concern of yours (or if she already is), then birth control pills are not the answer, they are simply a way of telling her it's ok. If that's what you want to say, fine. Otherwise, you need to have a series of very long, frank discussions with her on the ramifications of sex, emotional, physical, mental, etc. Borrow a baby for a weekend and give her total responsibility for it, if possible.

Does this mean she won't do it anyway? Of course not. But, it may delay it until she's older and better able to handle the responsibilities of a sexual relationship.

Birth control isn't just pregnancy prevention. My mom took me to the doc for birth control when I was 13 because I was beginning to get acne and had obscenely heavy, irregular periods (I had two a month, and I'll spare you the other details). I'd say if they're having problems like that, by all means, put them on it. My doc STRONGLY suggests that all teen-age girls, particularly those of college age, use some form of oral contraception, if only for instances of (God forbid) acquaintance rape or sexual assault. Better safe than sorry. The only warning I would give you is to monitor their weight. I gained about 30 pounds (this was when they were giving you REAL doses of hormones in those pills) when I first started taking them.

Should have mentioned this earlier. I went to school with more than one sexually active 11 year old, and knew plenty of pregnant 12/13 year olds. Just because we don't like to think about it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Teaching your kid will go a long way, but why even take that risk? It's not like giving them a pill is giving them permission. It won't undo years and years of teaching.

you might feel differently if you ever had an unwanted pregnancy.

Teenagers have sex. Am I the only one who remembers those days? Were you all virgins until you married? They are going to have sex with or without your "permission". You can deal with it or bury your head in the sand. I personally did not want to raise grandchildren by myself. So I made sure my teen had access to birth control. They are having sex - not committing murder. I don't understand why parents get their nosehairs in such a knot about this topic.

I made it through my teenage years with my virginity in tact, but I still believe in caution.

Teenagers also can get very sick and even die from sexually transmitted diseases. The pill surely isn't going to fix any of that. My guess would be we as parents have to promote whatever combination of discussion and birth control is appropriate for our children and our beliefs. There is no good answer for this question. Except maybe locking them away until they are 18....

The Ex and I follow the examples of now
Secretary of State and the President Formerly Know as Bill.
They told their daughter:
Don't 'Do It' intil you are 21, and then we don't want to hear about it.

Better to be safe then sorry..Good on you...

I JUST TURNED 20 LAST WEEK I HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR ALMOST 3 YEARS I KNOW 17 WOW! AND I MEAN LEAGALLY MARRIED AND I HAVE NO KIDS I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT MY SISTER AND I WERE RAISED BY THE SAME MOTHER SHE HAD HER FIRST CHILD AT 15 AND IS NOW 24 AND HAS 5 KIDS IM 20 AND NONE. MY OPINION IS THINK ABOUT THE NEEDS OF YOUR CHILDREN INDIVIDALLY I HAVE BEEN IN BIRTH CONTROL FOR OVER 4 YEARS AND DO WATCH HER WEIGHT ITS THE ONLY THING I DONT APPRECIATE FROM THE PILLS.