My daughter is 16 years old, what type of birth control is best for girls of this age?

This is excellent information and your support is very reassuring which helps. I started on the pill when I was 16 and have been on it for most of my life with no problems. However, when you are a mother and you are faced with putting your 16 year old daughter on birth control you encounter many emotions. Four months ago when we decided she was going on birth control our doctor recommended Depo Provera but I have since read some disturbing information about the risk to young bones being more prone to Osteoporosis with this drug. I want to take her off of Depo Provera because of this information and am seeking a different form. There are so many more options these days vs. when I went on birth control years ago. I just want to make sure the option she selects has the correct hormone level for her young age. I'm not sure they adjust hormone levels in the pill form. The other really important factor is compliance and this is where my daughter and I are having some pretty serious discussions. If I put her on the pill, I have to feel confident that she will take it every night vs. the a patch which does not have as many possible compliance issues.

Thanks for your information-very helpful.

The best form of birth control is the form that she will be able to take consistently and correctly every time. Each type of birth control (hormonal contraceptive) has different amounts of hormone, and will be adjusted according to your daughter's needs.

Many young woman begin birth control at age 16, so even though it seems like she is really young, medically-speaking, her age alone will not affect the type of birth control she uses within the range of the pill, depo provera shot or vaginal ring.

The type/form of birth control she chooses can be based on this criteria:
1. Effectiveness (read: Planned Parenthood Birth Control Effectiveness Chart
2. What she will be consistent with and use correctly.
-- If she chooses "the pill", is she willing/able to take one pill every day, 365 days/year, at the same time of day/night? Does she understand the instructions if she misses a pill (which every woman/girl does).
-- If she chooses "the shot" (Depo Provera shot), is she able to get to the doctor's office very 3 months for her next shot?
--If she chooses "the ring" (Nuvaring), is she OK with inserting the ring into her vagina once/week?

Other forms of birth control, such as the patch and IUD, I assume would not be recommended to her.

There are many, many different types and brands of hormonal contraceptive, especially the pill, so if she has too many side effects on one type of pill, be sure she communicates this with you and/or her doctor so she can try a different brand.

Does this help? Please let us know if you have any other questions, or would like more detailed information...I'm happy to talk about this more in-depth!