Contraception in the Adolescent Population

Adolescence is the phase of life during which most people become sexually active for the first time. It is essential for health care providers to assess the need for pregnancy prevention and provide comprehensive information on contraception, as well as sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention. All currently available contraceptive methods are safe and effective for most adolescents. Medical, menstrual, and sexual histories should be obtained during the office visit, and all eligible contraceptive methods should be offered. The right method is the one that best fits an adolescent's preferences for efficacy, duration of use, impact on menstrual bleeding, side-effect profile, noncontraceptive benefits, and ease of initiation and discontinuation. All methods can be initiated on the same day if it is reasonably certain that the adolescent is not pregnant. It is also crucial to review that barrier methods are the only contraceptive methods that protect against STI transmission.