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Pregnancy rates at the University of West Georgia are at an all-time high. Denise Parham, the Women’s Health nurse practitioner at UWG’s Health Services, is seeing more women than ever test positive for pregnancy.
Health Services distributes condoms in very generous amounts, exactly twelve at a time. Health Services also offers women birth control at reduced rates and offers women the Plan B pill for $25. Plan B is effective at preventing pregnancy if taken no longer than 72 hours after having unprotected sex.
Parham estimates that Health Services gives condoms to approximately 25 students every day. However, these numbers inflate to around 40 on Thursday afternoons. Almost 500 condoms are given out free of charge to students.
In theory, between free condoms and birth control at a reduced price, it would be virtually impossible for a woman to get pregnant unintentionally. Unfortunately, this is not the case at the University of West Georgia.
Although ample pregnancy prevention methods are available, Health Services administers around 15 pregnancy tests every week. Approximately one half of all the women who go to Health Services for a pregnancy test are in fact pregnant.
After testing positive for pregnancy, Parham offers the woman an opportunity to meet with a patient advocate. While some women graciously accept the service, some do not want to discuss their predicament.
“Sometimes the women who have just found out they are pregnant are way too upset to talk,” Parham said.
When this is the case, Health Services will call the patient at a later time to make sure they are handing the situation well. Parham also strongly encourages patients to fill out a form that includes all of the options available and what they intend to do. Typically one third of the female students refuse this free service.
The patient advocates at Health Services are there to make sure the woman is aware of all of her options. They discuss all the possible scenarios such as having the baby, having an abortion, and possibly putting the baby up for adoption.
Parham said that she sees many women who “do not want to make a choice at that moment; they [just] want the information.”
Patient advocates ensure that the patient is completely informed and educated on all of her possible options before making a life changing decision.
“Our role is to give information and provide the services that the woman needs,” Parham said of her role as a Woman’s Health nurse practitioner.
Health Services has at least two resources for every one of the three options available.
Health Services does not schedule abortions, but they will recommend a reputable clinic located in the Atlanta area. However, Health Services will provide a two-week follow-up after the abortion has been performed.
On average, one half of the women reported pregnant have an abortion. The other half has the baby and is then faced with the challenge of finding a way to finish college and care for a child simultaneously.
When women tell Parham that they plan to keep the baby, she refers them to an obstetrician, the Division of Family and Children’s Services and WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children.
Parham has seen about two to five women ask about putting their babies up for adoption since she has been working for Health Services over the past sixteen years.
“More young ladies are carrying their babies to term and raising them either by themselves or with the help of their families,” Parham said. “They are also more likely to complete college.”
Birth control of any form is less expensive than an abortion or having a child. An abortion costs around $500. Although this is not an enormous amount of money, the possible physical and emotional after effects can cost a woman much more. However, a woman can eventually overcome the majority of repercussions that result from electing to end a pregnancy.
UWG does not currently offer a support group for pregnant students. There are, however, groups within Carroll County for women who have became pregnant.
Students are encouraged to be proactive and prevent pregnancies. A visit to UWG’s Health Services can prevent a woman from having to deal with the possibility of becoming a mother before she is ready.
Parham does not think that one race has a higher pregnancy rate than another.
“Blacks, whites, and Hispanics are all getting pregnant,” said Parham. “There are many students that get pregnant within their first two semesters of college.”
Parham also believes that the pregnancy rate is high because of a “lack of knowledge.”
“Many first year freshman do not intend on having sex,” Parham said. “It really does ‘just happen’ to some. They don’t consider themselves to be sexually active if they are not having sex regularly, but what some don’t understand is that it only takes having sex one time to get pregnant.”
For more information, a pregnancy test or a consultation with a patient advocate, visit Health Services.
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