Information about contraception and sexuality among adolescents who experienced a pregnancy

Objective: To describe sources of information about sexuality and contraception used by adolescents who experienced a pregnancy. Methods: Descriptive study conducted through structured interviews in a sample of 285 adolescents during hospitalization for medical treatment or termination of pregnancy, in four hospitals in Teresina-PI, during the period from January to March 2006. Results: Before becoming pregnant, 89.5% of teenagers had information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases and 55% had someone with whom they felt safe to talk about sex and pregnancy. Their friends (36.6%) were the most frequently cited source of information. After pregnancy, 75.5% had received information about contraception and sexuality, and the prenatal service (70.30%) was the primary source. Conclusion: We detected a change in sources of information, after pregnancy, characterized by the search for sources with a scientific basis.