The National Survey of Family Growth, a nationwide study examining contraceptive use in 2,271 teenagers, showed that 98% of sexually-active teenagers had used a contraceptive method at some time (12). Among teen contraceptors, 53% use oral contraceptives (OC) - the highest percentage among all age groups (12). The percentage of African American and Hispanic teens using contraception is lower than white teens (12). The World Health Organization estimates that half of patients take their medication improperly (13). One million of the United States' unintended pregnancies result from improper OC use, failure or discontinuation (14). Teens discontinue OCs because they experience side effects, misunderstand instructions for use and do not establish a pill-taking routine (3). In a study of OC use in inner city family planning clinics, we found discontinuation rates of 40% and 61% at three and six months, respectively (1). For the 595 teens in that study, discontinuation rates were 53% and 75% at three and six months, respectively. High discontinuation rates are also reported elsewhere (15-19). Improving OC continuation in the U.S. by just 10% can lead to a 7% reduction in unintended pregnancies and an annual savings of $280 million (1995 dollars) (14). Nationally, that could mean a reduction of unintended teen pregnancies by 63,000.