The majority of adolescents initiate sexual activity during their teenage years, making
contraception an important aspect of routine adolescent health care. Despite common misperceptions, all available methods of reversible
contraception are appropriate for adolescent use.
Contraceptive side effects profiles and barriers to use of certain methods should be considered when providing
contraceptives to adolescents. In particular, ease of use, confidentiality, and menstrual effects are main concerns of adolescents.
Contraceptive counseling with adolescents should describe method efficacy, discuss user preferences, explore barriers to use, counsel regarding
sexually transmitted infection prevention, and consider what to do if
contraception fails.
Emergency contraception should be widely discussed with adolescents, as it is appropriate for use during gaps in other
contraceptive use, method failure, and adolescents who are not using another form of
contraception. Dual method use (
condom plus a highly effective method of
contraception) is the gold standard for prevention of both pregnancy and
sexually transmitted infections.