Current Issues |
| February/March 2002 |  |
| Teenagers ‘ignorant’ about sex, GPs blame pregnancies and STDs in youths on misguidance. | |
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source:
Newsletter,
July 2001 Teenage
myths and old wives’ tales about pregnancy are contributing to soaring
rates of young motherhood and sexually transmitted infections, according
to a survey published yesterday. More
than half of the 2,200 GPs in the UK questioned for a survey by Doctor
magazine said their teenage patients had a poor understanding of
contraception and conception. Doctors
said that teenagers’ ignorance about sexual issues sprang from
embarrassment about asking their GP for advice and fear that their
confidentiality will not be respected. The
UK has the highest rate of teenage motherhood in Western Europe, with
around 8,000 girls under 16 falling pregnant every year. Rates
of sexually transmitted infections among youngsters have also soared in
the last decade, with around one in ten suffering from diseases such as
chlamydia and gonorrhoea. Phil
Johnson, editor of Doctor said: “Many GP’s don’t advertise the fact
they offer a confidential service. “There
is no notice up about it. They
don’t train staff in it. They
don’t have a special leaflet for teenagers about it. Among
the “facts of life” given by somewhat misguided teenagers to doctors
were:
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