Dear hollow69,

If a woman is worried that she might be pregnant, the first thing she needs to do is find out for sure if she is — by either taking a home pregnancy test or by going to a health clinic for confidential testing.

To schedule a confidential pregnancy test at the nearest Planned Parenthood health center, call 1-800-230-PLAN.

A woman who is pregnant has three options. She can raise the child, place the child for adoption, or have an abortion.

Only you can decide which choice is right for you. But deciding may be hard to do — there's a lot to think about.

To help you decide which choice is best for you, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:

• Which choice(s) could I live with?
  
• Which choice(s) would be impossible for me?
  
• How would each choice affect my everyday life?
  
• What would each choice mean to the people closest to me?
  
• What's going on in my life?
  
• What are my plans for the future?
  
• What are my spiritual and moral beliefs?
  
• What do I believe is best for me in the long run?
  
• What can I afford?
  

Finding out that you're pregnant — especially if you don't want to be — can be stressful, but you don't have to go through it alone. Talking about how you feel can help relieve your anxiety and begin to make your decision.

Choose someone who will support you emotionally by listening without giving a lot of advice or trying to influence your decision. Hopefully you can talk with at least one of your parents, but if you can't, you can turn to a relative, a friend's parent, a counselor at school or at a clinic, or a religious advisor. You probably have a friend to talk to — but also try to find an adult that you trust. An adult may better understand the legal and medical choices you'll have to make.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.