Adolescent Reproductive Health

Expanding Sexual and Reproductive Health Information and Services

Access to accurate information and available services will help adolescents make information decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being, with support from a parent/caregiver or a trusted adult. Health care providers also play an important role in providing information and making preventive services more accessible and culturally relevant to their patients.

AAP Resources

• Policy Statement: Contraception for Adolescents

  This official AAP policy outlines evidence-based recommendations for pediatricians to support adolescent access to and education about contraception.

• Clinical Report: Contraceptive Counseling and Methods for Adolescents

  A clinical report with detailed guidance for healthcare providers on counseling adolescents and selecting appropriate contraceptive methods.

• AAP News: AAP policy guides pediatricians in counseling teens on contraception

  A news article summarizing the AAP’s updated policy and its practical implications for pediatricians helping teens make informed contraceptive choices.

• Healthy Children: Birth Control Options for Teens — AAP Policy Explained

  A parent-friendly overview from HealthyChildren.org that explains birth control options for teens in light of the AAP’s latest policy.

• News release: AAP Updates Guidance on Contraception

  An official press release announcing the AAP’s updated guidance on contraception, emphasizing the importance of access and education for adolescents.

Clinical Guidance and Policy

• The Adolescent’s Right to Confidential Care when Considering Abortion

  This policy affirms adolescents' right to confidential healthcare and outlines pediatricians’ responsibilities in supporting informed decision-making about abortion.

• Options Counseling for the Pregnant Adolescent Patient

  This clinical report provides guidance on offering unbiased, compassionate counseling to pregnant adolescents about parenting, adoption, and abortion.

• Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Services in the Pediatric Setting

  This clinical report provides guidance on offering unbiased, compassionate counseling to pregnant adolescents about parenting, adoption, and abortion.

• Contraception for Adolescents

  This AAP policy emphasizes the importance of access to a full range of contraceptive options for adolescents, including counseling and education.

• Barrier Protection Use by Adolescents During Sexual Activity

  This report reviews the effectiveness of barrier methods and offers strategies for encouraging consistent use among sexually active adolescents.

• Long-Acting Reversible Contraception

  This guidance supports the use of LARC methods—such as IUDs and implants—as safe, effective, and appropriate first-line contraceptives for many adolescents.

• Male Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Care

  This report highlights the unique needs of adolescent males in sexual and reproductive health, including screening, education, and access to care.

• Emergency Contraception

  This clinical report provides pediatricians with information on the use, effectiveness, and counseling considerations for emergency contraception in adolescents.

• Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents

  This policy offers a framework for providing gender-affirming, developmentally appropriate care and support for transgender and gender-diverse youth.

Tools and Resources

• Equitable Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health for all Youth

  Toolkit that outlines strategies for clinicians and communities to ensure all adolescents have equal access to comprehensive, confidential, and developmentally appropriate sexual and reproductive health services

• AAP: Caring for Adolescents’ Reproductive Health

  Website with links to policy, tools, and resources

• AAP: Bright Futures

  Provides age‑based guidance, screening tools, parent handouts, and implementation resources to promote optimal health from infancy through adolescence