I think if you felt it was the right decision for her and she agreed, then it probably was. But also stress that if she does have sex, the pill only protects against pregnancy and not stds...

Kids will find a way to do what they want, regardless of whether we think its too young or not. For a doctor to prefer to wait until they are 18 makes me think Planned Parenthood gets a lot of business... Way too late...

Nope, docs believe that way because of the still growing body of the young girl so unless she is sexually active they won't do it.

I had a similar situation with my thirteen year old except she lead me to believe she might be pregnant, it is a long story but it started with her eating bad eggs and ended with her in complete hysterics about she might be pregnant and scared the living daylights out of me. I took her to the doc and I came up against the same thing you did. I guess my daughter did not have a full understanding on how a person gets pregnant, although I had had the talk with her and the school sex ed and all. The doc said she had not had sex yet so no go.

Then my youngest daughter was the complete opposite, she wouldn't admit to anything, she ran away from home all the time and she did make me a granma at 14 and she did have birth control pills to take but she did not take them.

If you are really concerned make sure she has access to condoms and make sure she makes the boys use them if she is going to have sex, and use the other stuff at the store. Best not to do it until she is old enough but they don't always wait.

I agree. There are short term and long term side affects to the pills. They shouldn't be taken unless they are needed, IMO. They are hormones.

While it depends on a young woman's developement; if she is fertile, I think it is essential that for her protection she should be on some form of dependable birth control. And have condoms available to her so that she can protect herself from STD's.

This should not preclude good supervision or teaching your child the necessary skills to make chooseing to be sexually active, and or becoming a parent, when it is in their best interest.

I don't support the idea of a brief stint of babysitting being an effective teaching tool. Rarely will a mother leave a coliclly, teething, or ill infant in the extened care of a young teen. All the pregnancy bellys or faux babys in the world will not hold a candle to a difficult teen pregnancy. Your child will think their baby will be "wonderful" just like they did the puppy that lost it's appeal after a week. .

Birth control pills would NOT be my chosen form of birth control if for no other reason that skipping a few pills can actually make a female more fertile. While I would defer to the recommendations of a pediatric ob-gyn birth control specialist (a referral from Planned Parenthood will usually generate a supportive Physician) you are helping your child make a huge decision that affect the rest of their life includeing there ability to have children and maybe even survive. Maternal death in teen mothers in the USA is a serious risk. Especially for obese teens that smoke and some times abuse alcohol and drugs.

The subdermal or intrauterine pregnancy preventives would be how I would protect a busy often forgetful teen. Maybe a patch.

Telling your sons repeatedly the BC pills are nortoriously ineffective for preventing teen pregnancy helps but is not enough. You would be stunned by the number of young men who see getting someone pregnant especially a "hot" looking teen as a plus to their reputation even if they are not teens themselves.

While parents want to believe that their children will be wise they just do not have the mental capacity to do that at such a young age.

With so much sexual activity indundateing young people when responsible adults are not around (including on school and church campuses) I think it is unrealistic to believe that choice is always there. A child may not even be aware that they are having sex if they are under the influence of any number of substances that are readily available.

What is really shocking is the number of young teens that romanticise pregnancy and being a parent of an infant so that up to 60% of teens who get pregnant chose to be and have purposefully planned it.

With smaller and broken families many of these teen mothers have never held a new born before they are handed their own. They haven't seen any of the necessary skills to feed, bath, or assess if and infant is in distress. Many infants are severly injured by their teen mothers not out of maliciousness but inexperience and inattention.

Also since the number of pregnant teens that do not finish the school year once they are pregnant is staggering and it can make them dependent on her parents; or worse the state and often the prison systems it is no small thing to dismiss as I will worry about it IF it happens.

For parents who are divorced having an unplanned teen pregnancy can turn custody upside down. I have frequently seen non-custodial parents help a teen switch custody. then emancipate, only then to abandon them includeing their childsupport. Sometimes they are more than willing to harrass the the mother into turning over the baby to get the "second chance" that they equally screw up. All the while the added expenses for prenatal care, alternative school, home studies, counseling, and having drama go on tanks the custodial parents job, adult relationships, and sometimes leaves everyone homeless. Sounds dire I know but I see it all the time. Every support program and shelter I know of turns at least three women with children away for every one they can serve.

Since I am unaware of any court orders making grandparents pay childsupport for dependent infants the only hope is whatever the parents can contribute which is usually a big fat ZERO! While there is a variety of resources for teen mothers there are still gapping distances between what is offered and what is needed. That alone seems to a compelling push to err on the side of keeping a child and potential grandchild safe in my book.

Anyone else has to do what they think is best with THEIR children but what people have to be aware of is the state is stepping in more and more and earlier and it is a good way to loose not only the rights to your child but also your grandbaby. The State has no interest in keeping a child in the system so long that they are un-adoptable. And even though they might take your child from you they effectively abandon them anywhere from 17 to 19 if they don't run away. Many are basiclly told if you don't want to be homeless then join the military.

I know I'm a guy.. And I know I'm only 19.. But just hear me out.. You're not going to stop teenagers from exploring sex. My friends parents had her so sheltered that they moved her to an all female school. She came back bisexual.. From what she said, most of the girls turned out that way because that's all that was there. (Not that there is anything wrong with being bisexual or gay, I support.) I don't think there is much you can do to stop teenage sex and the exploration of it.. The most you can do is talk with your children and hope your words protect their actions.

And to answer your question, I think BC is a good idea. =]

Good luck with a 13 year old on BC. Teach her about condoms as well.
Many Doctors don"t use the pill to regulate her cycle. Unless she is athletic. She should natually regulate. AS for me and my daughters. Sex talk and condoms. AIDs kills. They went on the pill when they started college. Their choice. AT 26 and 28 we have had no babies. College first and now the job. Next husbands and then babies. I cannot wait to be a Granny. Some day it will happen. Planned parenthood is great. Teaching your child about their body and the "temple" it is saves a lot of greife. I am happy with my choice not to puch BC other then condoms on my daughters. I did not want them to feel they had my pernission to do a task that is "adult" in nature till they were "adult" enough to handle it.

I've been on BC since I was 13 and never saw it as an excuse to have sex with no condom.. or a good excuse to have sex at all. I've only had sex with 2 men, both of which I had about 3 year long relationships with each.

Interesting kt... your 19 been on the pill since 13 and had a total 2 / 3 year reationships.

19-(2x3)=13 age now- years in reationships
19-6=13 = age started to have sex.

Age you first had sex was 13 according to you. That is a teeanger.

You mom was smart.
Unless you were doing both guys at the same time. Then you were 16.

I think you can try to teach a person all you want, but the bottom line is you know your kids better then anyone here does.

DO YOU THINK THEY NEED IT?

I think if I was a parent (I’m not thank goodness) I would put my teenage daughter on BC as soon as she asked or I felt she had a boyfriend or it was going in that direction. I would not even hesitate to get her on it. I would also explain about condoms so she knows that this needs to be used also for disease. Its just not worth it having your kid knocked up at 13 or even later 15-16. Then you must deal with the trauma of an abortion if you will even allow for that. Either way, awful to deal with.



What? What kind of doctor is this? 18? Maybe he meant in the context that they can’t legally disperse BC to a minor without your permission.

Funny how no one else addressed std's. Only birth control and acne control.

Na, I think a couple others did. They mentioned condoms. Technically you should use condoms even when engaging in oral sex. Im guilty of not doing that.