The use of the morning-after pill contraceptive has spiked over the last few years, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now, one in five (20 percent) of sexually active teen girls use the said pill, indicating a huge increase over its usage compared to the past years.
A decade ago, the ratio was only one in 12, according to a report by the Associated Press. Now, at one to five, this is highly reflective of its accessibility - purchase requires no prescription, and all teens can buy it.
The fact that more teen girls bought the morning-after pill after it became more accessible is a sign that "teens, like adults, often are not very good at contraception," said Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
"In the battle between sex and sex with contraception, sex often wins," he said.
The CDC report is based on interviews of around 2,000 teen girls aged 15 to 19 in the years 2011 to 2013.
One of the findings was a dramatic decrease in the number of youths admittedly having sex, in comparison to the period between the late 1980s to the year 2000. This has been attributed to the rise of sexual education in schools, and the growing concern of teens towards AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Experts believe that "a decline in teen sexual activity and better contraception use have driven an astounding drop in teen birth rates since 1991," Fox news reports.
However, the decrease in teen sex slowed about a decade ago, at about 45 percent for both boys and girls, and there was no change in the latest report. It was 60 percent for boys and 51 percent for girls back in 1988, according to the report.
The CDC report also shows that of the teen girls who admit to having had sex, almost all have used condoms at some point, and half of the respondents have used the pill.
The morning-after pill contains the female hormone Progestin, which, in higher levels can cut the chances of pregnancy by 90 percent if taken within the first 72 hours from unprotected sex.
Over the counter sales to teens aged 18 and above have been permitted, but two years ago the age limit was lifted. And though the pill is prized around $35 to $50, purchases are still at its peak as of the moment.
And this talks just about teen birth rates and contraceptive use.
Now, regarding the statistics on teens who are having sex, it's hard to say why the numbers declined, but there will always be a sizable proportion of teens who have sex, Albert said.
"Are we likely to get to 30 percent? Probably not," he adds.
