Teen moms lock down!
Published:Friday | September 12, 2014 | 10:11 AMRyon Jones
Teen moms lockdown!
Teen mothers who give birth at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital (VJH) are being encouraged to accept a long-term contraceptive method to prevent a second pregnancy before they reach adulthood. The strategy seems to be working.
According to senior medical officer at the VJH, Orville Morgan, with the use
of Jadelle, a long-acting reversible contraceptive, in 2011 and 2012, there were no repeat pregnancies by the teen moms.
"Last year, we had two repeat pregnancies out of the number of teenagers we had treated, and that was mainly due to the non-availability of a long-active reversible contraceptive," shared Morgan.
"Our long-term hope is that for teenagers who go through our pregnancy clinic, their offspring will not become teenage mothers and Ö they won't become repeat mothers in their adolescent years, and we have had considerable success because of Jadelle for that."
Added Morgan: "We would prefer abstinence, but that has not been shown to work, so we have to offer them a long-acting reversible contraception."
He warned that the inroads made in reducing repeat pregnancies among teens is being threatened by a shortage of the contraceptive drug of choice at the VJH due to financial constraints.
"It is not being financed properly, so we have to decide that we want to finance these things properly and make sure they are properly in place," argued Morgan, as he pointed to the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA).
"The funds are just not sufficient to do what we have to do. SERHA is funded by the Government, but SERHA has to manage its funds as well. So the Government might say SERHA is not managing its funds properly, while SERHA might say it is not getting enough funds. We are at the bottom of the feeding tree, and all we know is that we are not getting enough funds," added Morgan.
Jadelle, the long-term contraceptive used at the VJH clinic, is a medication which contains levonorgestrel. Teen mothers are offered this means of pregnancy prevention, along with counselling, to ensure their educational and physical development continues unencumbered by further pregnancy.
The contraceptive, in the form of two flexible cylindrical implants, is inserted through minor surgery just beneath the skin on the inside of the upper arm of the teen moms. The levonorgestrel contained within the implants can last up to five years, but the teen mothers have the option to remove it at any time.
According to Dr Rishi Chand, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, the drug is a type of progesterone.
"Progesterone is able to suppress the egg from ovulating. It is the same hormone that is increased during pregnancy, so it's like telling the brain it's a pseudopregnancy. That is one mechanism by which it works. It also works by thickening the mucus in the cervix, making it hard for sperm to get through," Chand told The Sunday Gleaner.
Teenage pregnancy can have severe long-term consequences for both teen mom and child; and the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) believes that with the breakdown in the family unit and wider community in Jamaica, the use of contraceptive by teens is a conversation that needs to be had.
"The whole issue of contraceptives to children is very controversial, because as soon as you mention it, they say you are encouraging children to have sex," said Dr Sandra Knight, head of the NFPB.
"But what we are finding out is if we don't do something about it, then we have a lot of these teenage pregnancies and a lot of these other issues that we have to deal with, including sexually transmitted infections and HIV," added Knight.
The latest official figures show that 270 teen moms visited the maternity clinic at the VJH in July.
According to Morgan, on average, 45 adolescents visit the clinic per week, with almost all the mothers agreeing to use some form of contraceptive. Well in excess of 50 per cent of these teen moms opted for the long-term method.
"We prefer when they take a long-acting contraceptive that requires little input from them. Jadelle falls in that category, so it is a preferred method," said the senior medical officer.
"About a year or so ago, before the supplies were getting short, Jadelle was the contraceptive of choice for teenagers because it is long-acting and it is reversible. Teenagers are quite fickle and, therefore, we want to give them something that they don't really need to worry about; it is just fit and forget."
Medical authorities agree that there are few side effects from Jadelle, and according to Chand, the most common concern is weight gain and a bloated feeling because of the retention of water.
"Other hormonal effects are headaches, dizziness; some people have disturbances with their gastrointestinal system, upset stomach and changes in their menstrual cycle. Sometimes it can even cause the period to seize permanently while on the medication," said Chand.
This was supported by the NFPB, which said it conducted a study last year and proved that Jadelle is safe.