love and relationship advice

Dear Deb,

I think I might be pregnant.  I have this funny feeling and my period is late.  I am 15 years old and my parents would kill me if they found out. I don't know what to do.  Please help!!!

Scared and worried

Get a home pregnancy test (you can get one at any drug store without a prescription).  They are pretty accurate if you follow the instructions and can detect pregnancy about 2 weeks after conception.   A positive result is more likely to be accurate than a negative one.

If the test comes out negative and you still think you are pregnant, you can take the test again after a week or so.  Common signs of pregnancy are:

• You miss a period
• You are tired and don't have much energy
• You may vomit
• You may have food cravings
• You need to urinate more than usual
• You have tender or swollen breasts

If you are indeed pregnant, please remember that even though you think your parents are going to kill you that their help and support can be quite useful (and even though they may get angry, they can really help you and would probably be more upset if you don't tell them).  If you are pregnant you basically have three choices.You can choose to have a baby and raise the child. You can choose to have a baby and place the child for adoption. Or you can choose to have an abortion and end the pregnancy. 

There are laws, depending upon where you live, that dictate whether or not you need to have parental consent to get an abortion - click here to learn more.

Now this is going to be a difficult time for you and you need support from someone, so if you absolutely feel that you cannot tell your parents straight out that you are pregnant, confide in a family member that you can trust, like an aunt, grandmother, older sister, school counselor, or religious advisor and ask for their help in breaking the news to your parents.

You can also cal Planned Parenthood at 1-800-230-PLAN to discuss your pregnancy options, prenatal care, or for pregnancy testing. Here is a link to their website.

Deb