Pregnancy line gets more young callers

The number of girls aged 15 or under who called a pregnancy advice line over the summer holidays doubled from the same period of last year, an official said yesterday.

The service normally gets between 600 and 700 calls a month during the vacation, said Pan Jia, who works on the line.

About 70 percent of them come from girls living in Shanghai and the rest from other areas. Girls under 15 normally account for 10 percent of the total, but in July and August the figure rose to 20 percent, the official said.

"In many cases, the callers want advice after having unprotected sex and fear they might be pregnant," Pan said.

"We tell them how to buy pregnancy tests or advise them to come to the hospital for a check-up."

The help line, on 658-76866, is supported by the Shanghai No. 411 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army and the Shanghai Youth League.

"About half of the girls who call have already confirmed their pregnancy and want advice on having an abortion and how much it costs," Pan said.

"A lot of girls have a very poor understanding of contraception and sexual health."

To help remedy the situation, workers from the help line yesterday visited Shanghai Caoyang No. 2 High School to talk to pupils about puberty, contraception and safe sex.