She’s 16 and 9 weeks pregnant, having come to the resident’s clinic this afternoon complaining of bleeding after intercourse 2 days ago. The baby is fine (very cute on sono, we all agree), but it’s clear by her exam that she has a rather severe infection of her cervix, most likely due to Chlamydia. On further questioning she admits to having been treated for Chlamydia not too long ago.
“Did your boyfriend get treated?”
No, he didn’t. He told her that his doctor told him he didn’t have Chlamydia, so he didn’t need to be treated. This of course, cannot be true, because we treat anyone potentially exposed. Which means that her boyfriend did not go to a doctor – he basically lied to her.
He’s 21, the FOB. That means “Father of the Baby” in OB chart-speak, although I could think of a similar acronym that might be more appropriate. He also sleeps with his other baby’s mother, who is 15. She has a 3 month old baby girl.
I ask my patient why she still sees this guy, if she knows he sleeps with another girl. “He’s my baby-father”, she says. “So when I get the urge, he’s the one I go to.”
So this means they all have chlamydia – her, her baby-father, and her baby-father’s other baby-mama. I tell her this, and ask to consider whether she really wants to continue sleeping with him.
And although our former surgeon general was forced to resign for suggesting that teens be taught about masturbation, I take my chances and tell her that there are other things she can do to satisfy her urges that don’t involve exposing herself and her baby to serious infection. I don’t know if I got through, but I hope so.
We treat her infection, talk to her about getting her partner treated, send some labs, talk to social work and make her a follow-up appointment. Her baby is due the end of September.
According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, fathers of babies born to teens are often significantly older than their female partners. It is estimated that, among girls who have given birth to a child by age 15, 39 percent of the fathers are between the ages of 20 and 29.
Category: Second Opinions
