HEALTH CHECK with Gina Tee: Be a babe without a baby

Adolescence is the transitional period when you go from being a child to adulthood. Physi­cally and emotionally you go through a lot. Those who develop early or late are made fun of and usually tend to hold themselves in low regard.
Some teens may turn to sexual activities as a way of proving their worth without realising that they are endangering their lives. Others turn to alcohol which is a big danger as it can make you lose control.

When this happens most girls tend to not only become sexually promis­cuous, but they also indulge in unprotected sex.
Most teen girls who are sexually active tend to be in trans-generational relationships. This means that they are dating men who are five or more years older than them. Experts consider such relationships to be very risky to the teen girls as the men are likely to be infected with many diseases.

Any sexual activity increases your chances of contracting HIV and other STIs. It also exposes you to increased risks of other things like cervi­cal cancer in later life. And, of course, you may end up with an unplanned and unwanted preg­nancy.
Your health could suffer from the stress of the social stigma of being a pregnant teen. You are labelled loose and other names. You also lose the chance to enjoy your youth as you will have responsibilities for the child.

Being a mother is hard work. It means that you have to put your kid’s welfare ahead of your own. So you can imagine why being a teen mom is even harder because you would be a at stage where you still need your own mom yet you are already a mom yourself. This puts your health in jeopardy.
Any pregnant woman needs special medical attention which is available at maternity clinics. Although the services at public centers are now free, most teens do not go to the clinics because they are embarrassed or ignorant about what is needed.

Most girls try to hide their pregnancy because of shame and fear of their parents and some­times only go to the clinic when in labour. This means that they put themselves and their chil­dren at risk by not getting checked and treated for any complicating problems.
Another danger is that when a teen finds her­self pregnant she may decide to abort. In Zim­babwe abortion is illegal therefore many girls go for backyard procedures. They try all sorts of things like drinking herbal concoctions and inserting sharp objects in their insides.

All these are very dangerous and many girls die in the attempt. Nowadays the health services will assist all women without asking if they had an induced abortion or it just happened. But again, most teens may not look for help in time because they are embarrassed, ignorant or do not have the money to pay for the services.

Even if you survive you may be infertile for the rest of your life. So think before you do any­thing foolish.
Being different is what makes you who you are as a person and you should be proud of that. Do not let anyone make you feel like you are not good enough.

Do not be pushed to do what you know is wrong simply because everyone around you is doing it.
It is much more satisfying to be able to say that you had a hard time remaining focused but you were able to make it.
Be proud of being a babe without a baby!
Gina Tee out.