Teenage pregnancy is one of the main health problems in Las Tunas, a reality that the sector’s authorities are addressing with a differentiated strategy and an urgent appeal to families and the community.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Based on the premise that women have a fertile period suitable for reproduction that is not necessarily during adolescence, specialists are working to transform the sexual and reproductive health environment for young people. This is according to specialists in the sector who are part of the “Youth for Life” network.
Dayán Larduet Igarze, a specialist in maternal and child health and a member of this association, emphasizes the complexity of the issue: "Working with adolescents begins on an individual basis, with the family and the community. To do this, family doctors must take a differentiated approach."
"Seen in this light, we must recognize that people are a product of their times, accepting the reality of early sexual activity and the need to act from the primary care level."
“Confidentiality is key to working with adolescents in an integrated and differentiated way,” says Larduet Ibarze. This principle is the basis for young women to approach the family doctor and nurse's office without fear."
Due to its high rates of teenage pregnancy, the province has an observatory dedicated specifically to monitoring this phenomenon.
Although active prevention and education work is already underway, the specialist emphasizes that "now it is time to work with the family. The goal is for parents to understand the many complications associated with pregnancy at this stage, when young women face a storm of biological, hormonal, psychological, and social changes."
The expert warns how harmful ignorance can be for both pregnant minors and their families, socially, physically, and mentally.
FREE ACCESS AND CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS
Throughout the province's health sector, sexual and reproductive health services in family planning clinics offer comprehensive coverage of contraceptive methods completely free of charge. For adolescents, subdermal implants are especially recommended, as they are considered a more tolerable and long-lasting method.
However, implementation has not been without challenges. Larduet Ibarze identified the municipalities of Jesús Menéndez, Jobabo, Manatí, and Majibacoa as those with the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and, at the same time, where implants have had little acceptance due to reported side effects such as headaches and weight loss or gain.
Faced with this situation, the specialist explains, “We must bear in mind that all medications have a margin of side effects. In the case of implants, the changes they can cause are tolerable because it is a foreign body; until the body assimilates it, it will behave in this way.”
Although these approaches exist, Dayán points out that education is necessary for their proper acceptance.
The battle against teenage pregnancy in our country continues, even when direct action in clinics is combined with family education to dispel some of the myths established by society and guaranteed access to contraceptive methods, in an effort to guide young people towards a life plan where motherhood is a conscious choice.