Health needs of adolescent girls in the area of reproductive behavior

: Most users (64.1%) of the Counseling Unit for the Young are unmarried girls aged 17 to 24, predominantly students and secondary pupils. Although more frequent in older girls (21-24 years old), pregnancy is highly undesirable both in younger (22.2%) and older (57.1%) ones. Since they are most often nulliparae, the underlying health problems are significant. The girls are considered to be pregnant before their coming to the Counselling Unit, because afterwards 83.0% of them start using contraceptives. The health service for adolescents is encountered with two tasks: (1) to get adolescent girls coming to the Counselling Unit before they experience pregnancy in a negative sense, and (2) to observe and analyse the efficacy and side-effects of contraceptives.