Unintended Pregnancy versus HIV test – The fears of Adolescents and Young people
It is said people go for services they love the most, but for adolescents and young people this is not so true when it comes to pregnancy or HIV testing services. Thus, one can only guess what many youths fear most between unintended pregnancy and HIV.
By Shireen Takawira (Youth Health Advisor: Nyanyadzi Youth centre)
Most youths confess that they fear unintended pregnancy more, especially teenagers. For adolescents and youths, pregnancy does not only show what there were doing in the dark but it also means that one’s life is set for unforeseen challenges. Without mentioning the humiliation, rejection from family and friends as well as name calling, unintended pregnancy literally means ‘end of one’s ambitious dreams’. Thus, for most youths especially teenagers, they fear pregnancy most because for them giving birth to a child whilst one is also a child is actually an added problem.
Therefore, in a quest also to assess what youths fear most between unintended pregnancy and HIV, findings from Nyanyadzi Youth Centre clinic shows that most youths come for contraception and it will take a lot to convince them to use dual protection. Most youths claim there is no need to use dual protection, where they have to use a condom also. They claim they have one partner and they also trust their partner thus, they are only more concerned about preventing unintended pregnancy.
Looking at the number of people who come for pregnancy testing, it shows that most youths fear pregnancy more than HIV. With full knowledge that pregnancy is a result of having unprotected sex, one can only come for pregnancy test and it will also take a lot to convince that person to have an HIV test too. Most youths usually refuse to have HIV test claiming they fear facing a result which is HIV positive.
If the pregnancy test result is negative most youths will refuse to have an HIV test as they say they will do that later for that moment they just need to enjoy the relief they got from knowing they are not pregnant. One mostly accepts an HIV test when she has had a positive pregnancy test result because she claims it is better to know her status so that she can prevent mother to child transmission of HIV.
It can thus be concluded that health service providers and the community at large have a great job to perform in educating youths that it is essential to undertake HIV testing services as individuals and as couples so as to make informed reproductive health choices. Young people also need to understand that the use of dual protection is the only way to avoid both unintended pregnancy and HIV.