I think I might be pregnant. What should I do?

Take a pregnancy test. You can buy one at a drug store or go to Sav-A-Life for a free test (759-5433). Over-the-counter urine pregnancy tests are very reliable and can be taken early in pregnancy (approximately two weeks from the act of intercourse or if you do not get your period when you expect it.)

If it has been less than 5 days since intercourse, you may still be able to prevent pregnancy with emergency contraception. Sometimes called "the morning-after pill," emergency contraception contains high doses of the same hormones found in birth control pills and is most effective within 72 hours after intercourse. Emergency contraception can be taken up to 120 hours after intercourse with slightly less efficacy. Emergency contraception is very safe and up to 95% effective at preventing pregnancy. The Tuscaloosa County Health Department is an emergency contraceptive provider, their number is (205)345-4131.

If you have missed a period and your pregnancy test shows a negative result, you may want to take another test in a couple of days to one week. If this test is also negative, you should visit either your private doctor to find out what is causing you to miss your period. Lack of menstruation could be a symptom of a medical problem or (rarely) you could be getting a false negative from your pregnancy test.

If your pregnancy test has a positive result, you now need to consider your options.  Sav-A-Life offers free pregnancy testing and counseling about pregnancy.  They are located in Tuscaloosa and the number is (205)759-5433.  West Alabama does have one clinic that conducts abortions and there are several adoption agencies, mostly through Birmingham.  You should know that in Alabama anyone under the age of 18 must have a parent go with them and give consent for an abortion to be performed.  They will require official documentation that the adult is the parent of that minor and photo identification for each person.  You should also know that adoption offers two methods.  Open adoptions allow the biological mother to maintain contact with the adoptive parents, and a closed adoption limits the contact that the biological and adoptive parents have (i.e. they don’t know names, phone numbers, addresses, etc.).  To get names and numbers regarding adoption or abortion look in the local phone book yellow pages under those two titles.

If you plan to continue with the pregnancy, it is important to get medical care and support as soon as possible.  Schedule to see an obstetrician as soon as possible to get more information on what you can do to insure a healthy pregnancy.  Notifying your parents and the father can be difficult and scary, but letting them know soon will get it off your chest and allow you to make plans for their involvement.  If you do not have the support of your parents or the father, and need somewhere to stay during your pregnancy contact Vicki Avery with the Jeanne Browning Home for Unwed Mothers at 759-4912.   This is a local organization designed to help expecting teen mothers who do not have any support or are in a dangerous situation.

If you have further questions about teen pregnancy or what to do if you think you are pregnant, please contact the Tuscaloosa Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy at (205) 366-0207 or by email at bblackston@tuscaloosateenpregnancy.org.