Tulsa Pediatrician Says IUD Doesn't Address Larger Teen Pregnancy Issues

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sexually active teenage girls get an interuterine device to prevent pregnancy.

Dr. Donna Krutka tells her young patients to be abstinent, but she says in her practice, the preaching doesn't always hit home.

"After long hours of me talking to them, I've seen girls come back pregnant,” Krutka said. “And I've seen that over and over again, and so I am taking care of some of their babies now."

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly half of American high school students are sexually active. Each year, about 750,000 young girls get pregnant. Oklahoma ranks fifth in the nation in the highest rates of teen births.

"If they find themselves in a sexual situation, I think sometimes they really need protection,” Krutka said. “So what do we have the pill these girls can't remember the pill and the injection the depo shot and that can be helpful if they come in and get their shot."

The more permanent birth control, experts say, is the IUD. But implanting it in young girls is controversial.

Krutka says part of a pediatrician's job is to educate kids on consequences and while this protects girls from pregnancy it doesn't protect against STDs -- that it doesn't cover.

“I have to, have to, have to tell them this does not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases. You have to know this is protection against pregnancy,” “Period. I tell them that and they come in with an STD."

She says the IUD option, does not address the larger problem of teen pregnancy.

“It isn't just about having sex without protection – it's having sex period,” Krutka said. “We have to know we are not doing a good job of giving girls other options besides being sexually active."

The Centers for Disease Control says teen pregnancy declined by about six percent between 2011-2012. In Tulsa, Morton Health Services offers classes and contraception through its Take Control program.