CHICAGO — Teen girls who have sex should use IUDs or hormonal implants — long-acting birth control methods that are effective, safe and easy to use, the nation’s most influential pediatricians’ group recommends.
In an updated policy, the American Academy of Pediatrics says condoms also should be used to provide protection against sexually transmitted diseases that other forms of birth control don’t provide, and to boost chances of preventing pregnancy.
The new guidance was published Monday in Pediatrics. It echoes 2012 recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The policy emphasizes that abstinence is 100 percent effective at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. But because many teens don’t heed that advice, the policy also says pediatricians need to provide birth control guidance.
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