My daughter is 15 years old, and I am wondering whether or not I should start thinking about birth control for her. Though she is not a problem child, I am afraid that she, like myself, will get pregnant at an early age. Any advice is appreciated.

--Melissa

I hope you have a good, open relationship with your daughter and that you have already been discussing the "birds and bees" with her. If she has started having sex already, then you should have thought about birth control before this, but if she is not yet having sex, now is a good time to have a conversation about the consequences of unprotected sex, including pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

If your daughter has already had sex, get her to a gynecologist immediately, both to initiate some form of birth control and to test her for STDs to which she may already have been exposed. If she has not had sex yet, but has a boyfriend, I think a visit to the gynecologist is a good idea, but in this case it is to encourage abstinence, discuss the various types of birth control available when she does begin sexual activity, and talk about ways she can protect herself from contracting diseases. If she looks like she is going to throw up at the thought of boys or sex, you may have a little while before that trip to the gynecologist becomes necessary!