Facing an Unplanned Pregnancy in College

An unplanned pregnancy can be overwhelming especially when it happens in college. Even though it may feel like it, your life is not over. You are not alone and you have options available.  It may not be the exact path that you thought you would follow, but everyday life and responsibilities do carry on. You can still finish your college degree.

One of the biggest fears for women in college is exposing this unplanned pregnancy to their friends and family. Additionally, not being able to continue their college education. 

What are my pregnancy options?

Pregnancy options are what you ultimately choose to do with your pregnancy when you are not pregnant anymore, or decide that you no longer want to be pregnant. Every pregnant woman has three pregnancy options- in alphabetical order- they are abortion, adoption, and parenting.

But what do each of those options mean?

Abortion- abortion is an option to end the pregnancy. You can have a medical abortion or a surgical abortion.

Adoption- Placing for adoption means that the baby will be born, but it will not be raised by its biological parents. You can have an open adoption, a semi-open adoption, or closed adoption.

Parenting- Parenting means that the baby will be born, and the biological parents will also raise the child.

While these options may seem simple, they are complex and oftentimes emotionally difficult.

There are community resources outside your college campus that can help provide no-cost pregnancy testing and are 100% confidential.  At Pathway Health Clinic, we respect your privacy and do not report your visit to anyone unless you have provided us with written consent and authorization. All our Advocates and Licensed Medical Professionals can help you explore all your options in a safe, confidential, judgment-free way.

To make an appointment, call us at 760-945-4673. If you are in a crisis, you can text our 24/7 crisis text line at 760-208-8811 and an advocate will respond. We are here to help.

Facing an Unplanned Pregnancy in the Military

Joining a branch in the United States Military is very rewarding especially when you are straight out of high school and experiencing being on your own for the first time. Once you have completed the training required you have the privilege to become apart of a family that will last a lifetime. During your time on active duty, you will be apart of your family members lives which include weddings, promotions, and celebrating births within your family.

So, what happens when you or someone close to you think you may be pregnant?

According to a military blog, women in the military still report higher rates of unplanned pregnancy than their civilian peers. Is this a bad thing? Not at all, it just means we need to educate ourselves on being pregnant in the military. According to Ibis Reproductive Health’s analysis of Department of Defense data, about 11 percent of active-duty military women reported an unintended pregnancy in 2008. While 7 percent reported an unintended pregnancy in 2011—in both years, this was far more than the general population.

One of the biggest fears for military women is exposing this unplanned pregnancy to their chain of command. Because we risk being non-deployable or non-promotable. In these cases, there are community resources outside Camp Pendleton. Places that can help provide no-cost pregnancy testing and are 100% confidential.  At Pathway Health Clinic, we respect your privacy and do not report your visit to command or Tricare. Unless you have provided us with written consent and authorization. All our Advocates and Licensed Medical Professionals can help you explore all your options in a safe, confidential, judgment-free way.

To make an appointment, call us at 760-945-4673 or walk-in during clinic hours. If you are in a crisis, you can text our 24/7 crisis text line at 760-208-8811. An advocate will respond. We are here to help you.