Lesbian teenagers more likely to get pregnant
December 18th, 2008
A Canadian study has found that lesbian, gay and bisexual teenagers have a higher risk of pregnancy, sexual abuse and harassment than heterosexual teenagers.
The study, conducted by the University of British Columbia, found that lesbian teenagers were statistically more likely to become pregnant than straight teens.
In 1992, lesbian teenager pregnancy rates were 7%, compared to 2% for heterosexual teenagers. In 2003 the pregnancy figures were 3% for lesbian teenagers and 1% for heterosexual teens.
The higher pregnancy rate for lesbian teenagers is thought to be linked to the higher incidents of sexual abuse and harassment for LGB teenagers.
Lesbian teenagers are more likely to be in engaged in higher risk activities which lead to pregnancy, such as lack of condom use and engaging in sex before the age of 14. These activities are linked to incidents of sexual abuse.
Pregnant lesbian and bisexual teens were twice as likely to have experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation. They also reported more kinds of harassment at school than lesbian or bisexual teens who hadn’t been pregnant.
“Teen pregnancy is declining, but the risk is still higher for LGB youth,” says Elizabeth Saewyc, an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at UBC and Research Director at the McCreary Centre Society. “These results are linked to higher rates of discrimination and harassment among LGB teens at school.”
“Reducing the levels of stigma, harassment, and sexual violence that LGB youth face, and creating safer, more supportive schools for LGB youth is a key step,” says Saewyc. “But sexual violence is linked to pregnancy for all teens, so interventions to reduce sexual harassment and sexual violence in adolescent relationships can have a positive effect for teens of every orientation.”
“This issue is not unique to British Columbia,” adds Saewyc. “Population studies in other countries have also documented higher rates of teen pregnancy among sexual minority youth. We expect other provinces in Canada would report similar results if they conducted similar surveys.”
British Columbia is the only province in Canada that tracks trends in sexual health for both LGB youth and heterosexual teens.
i am 14 and i know all about pregnancy
Victoria Sidebottom ∼ February 16th, 2009 7:05 pmi think this is interesting to know.. but i’m kind of confused because as far as my knoledge goes, lesbians dont want boys in their lives or no part of a man so how could they end up pregnant
COnfused ∼ May 6th, 2009 6:07 pmwtf? lesbians cannot get pregnant. that makes absolutely no sense. if you dont have sex with a guy, you cant get pregnant. you kinda need sperm? get real people.
shayla ∼ September 25th, 2009 12:55 pmEhhh I Dont Get This At All. How Can A Lesbian Get Pregnant? Lesbians Have Sex With Girls Not Guys, So How An Earth Do They Get Pregnant? In All The Sex Education Ive Done It Says To Get Pregnant You Need A Egg And A SPERM The Last Time I Checked Lesbians Dont Have Sperm.So Please Explain To Me How Lesbians Get Pregnant!
Jessikaa ∼ October 8th, 2009 8:29 pmEhhh!!! How Can Lesbian get Pregnant Am So Confused!!!! Please Can somebody Tell Me?? I Have A Child I Got Pregnant At The Age Of 14 I Am Now 17. Am So Proud Of Bin A Young Mum Its Great xxx
jade ∼ October 19th, 2009 3:16 pmWow, how can you readan article and leave comments asking how the got prenant. Honestly it says itsbecause of sexual harrassment and sexual abuse.
jazmyne ∼ April 18th, 2010 4:36 amLesbians get pregnant because they get raped. Simple as that. I know it happens because it’s happened to people I know personally. In some countries, men rape lesbians to “straighten them out”, as if experiencing rape would make a woman more likely to fancy men!
Other lesbian teens may feel pressurised into dating guys and acting heterosexual, even though they are gay.
Anastasia ∼ April 18th, 2010 5:46 pmmen rape to assert power, the ultimate power assertion is a woman who chooses another woman!
rory ∼ April 20th, 2010 3:42 amI am not questioning the research done to make the conclusion. But I wonder, if there perhaps are other contributing factors? Even if you are clear about your sexual orientation as a teenager, to many there must still be some uncertainty.
Couldn’t it ‘also’ be so, that teenagers who defines themselves as lesbians and therefore is not on the pill/brings a condom when going out, is simply less protected, when that insecurity kicks in and the curiosity takes over?
Malene ∼ April 20th, 2010 9:09 pmMaybe it’s to do with the fact that lesbian teenagers spend more time having sex with guys to try and push away the fact that they’re gay, as they might struggle to accept it. Perhaps, because they might be feeling self-destructive, they care less about contraception, as it may be more in ‘one-night stand’ situations, not in relationships.
Catherine ∼ April 24th, 2010 9:55 pmGrowing up a lesbian in a predominantly straight community is hard. Thats what I did, and I believe this to be true. It is quite likely when you count in that the people around you might not accept you. You end up pretending to be straight until high school, college, or all of your life. You want to come out and be your self, but when growing up you also just want to fit in. I was the girl who had sex way too young, WITH BOYS, because its easier to pretend you’re just like everybody else. I thought I could change myself even though I knew it wasn’t a phase. I was just so scared of people not liking me. I was scared of the rumors. Then I did come out to my friends, and there came the rumors. The girls who thought being a lesbian meant I wanted to be all over them, and were too scared to change in the same room as me, and the ones who deserted me. And don’t forget the guys who wanted to “change” me, just like I had. I’d date them and never do anything because they were nice, or get blackmailed by other guys. They wouldnt black mail me into dating them, they black mailed me into giving them sexual favors. So essentially rape, but i couldnt say anything because if someone asked what the blackmailed me for, it would mean coming out. Life can be hard. Even though I want kids, and invitro is expensive, I was lucky I never had a baby out of that. I mean really, it has to be hard to explain to your kid how they got there without making them think they were an accident. you know? I would have been once though. During that time, I got into some bad things, I wasnt happy obviously. My period was 3 months late so I took 2 PT’s and they both had an +sign. So I did however get pregnant once that I know of, but 2 weeks and 5days later I had a miscarriage, 3 days before my first dr appointment. I was in 7th grade. I switched schools and finally learned to ignore the rumors and embrace my sexuality in liking women during my Junior year of high school. Everybody at my school knew, and nobody thought I was weird or needed to change. They liked me, no questions asked. It was an amazing feeling, and I wish I had started jr high at that charter school I switched to. I think my life changed significantly. Sorry I turned this into a blog. I just wanted people to know how this sort of thing actually happens. Those who come out very young sometimes get beaten up or raped, and those who try to keep it a secret but have been seen in public get blackmailed if they arent out. It happens. However, there are people who grow up with no problems involving their sexuality and I wish it had been like that for me. But I lived the hard path, I wouldnt want to do it over, but it did give me insight into other peoples minds and how cruel they can be about things that dont even involve them. If you read all of this thank you. I hope this helps someone out, or gets out my story. And no, I dont live in to city. I live in a suburban neighborhood where you don’t usually see gangs. So it’s worse for some people.
Carrie ∼ August 13th, 2010 7:01 pmI wanna get pregnant wif my girlfriend how can lesbians get pregnant cuz I would love to no cuz me and my girlfriend would love a kid
Fiejebdjrh ∼ September 26th, 2010 3:21 pmhttp://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_home/parenting/3463.asp - Stonewall have some good stuff around getting pregnant (for lesbians).
lacey ∼ September 26th, 2010 9:20 pm