Birth Control, Abstinence and Unplanned Pregnancy: Who Taught You About Sex?

According to the study, women who received no education about abstinence or birth control from parents and schools were the most likely to have an unplanned pregnancy. In contrast, those who received sex education that either focused on abstinence only, or equally focused on abstinence and contraception in school were least likely to have an unplanned pregnancy or abortion.

Offering other sources of sex education such as birth control and STD information from Internet sources may also be beneficial since most women preferred informal sex education. In fact, the data used in the study was retrieved through an Internet survey that was not connected to any other websites. While this may make for some biased response rates, overall the Internet seems to be an important option to consider when it comes to offering discussion and education about sex for teenagers.

Parents, School and Sex Education


Women can receive sex education and information about birth control from a variety of sources. These include parents, school programs, doctors, clinics, friends, books and the Internet. In fact, the study found that women were more satisfied as well as less likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy if they received sex education from a variety of sources.
 
In particular, the majority of respondents preferred getting information about sex from their friends, as well as other informal sources as opposed to schools and clinics, for example. Satisfaction proved to be an important consideration, and seems to be connected to fewer unplanned pregnancies.