Amber Portwood's Daughter Leah, 14, Has Candid Birth Control Conversation on Teen Mom

On Wednesday's new episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley's daughter Leah was seen heading to a doctor's appointment with stepmom Kristina -- with Leah saying she hoped to talk about her period with the doc when they got there. The 14-year-old was also happy to have Kristina join her in the room for the appointment, as Amber later seemed appreciative of how Gary's wife really stepped up when she was absent from her daughter's life.

"She's been having boyfriends. 14 I was a virgin, 15 I was a virgin, 16 I wasn't. I think I'm just proud of Leah ... I know when Kristina came into the picture, it helped out a lot," said Amber. "The things I used to bitch about because I wanted as a mom you want to be in their life, it was probably better that I stepped back and let them do their thing when I was having that trouble. I was a mess, I was doing drugs, she could have turned out really different."

While the appointment wasn't filmed, Gary and Kristina talked about it later in the episode -- with Kristina saying the doctor suggested Leah start taking birth control to help regulate her periods. "Welcome to parenting a teenager," quipped Kristina.

"The doctor did give her a good sex education talk along with the birth control pill, but Leah kept saying, 'I don't need it for that. I don't need it for that, it's just for my periods,'" she continued, as Gary said he wasn't against her taking it.

"I would prefer it. I'd rather her be safe than sorry because she's gonna eventually be old enough and older and eventually be more curious and I don't want her to be like it was for her mom and I and the next thing you know she's pregnant," he said, before adding he would also talk to Amber about the situation.

He was later seen calling up his ex, explaining what the doctor said and adding that Leah was "comfortable" with them discussing this all on camera "because she needs birth control to help regulate her period, definitely not for being sexually active."

"I wish my mom would have thought about that when I was laying on the floor cramping, dying at that age," said Amber, clearly okay with the decision. "I do feel better that at least Leah is getting that and she's smart and she understands about what sex is and to wait," Portwood added, before saying the children of young teen moms often become them as well.

Toward the end of the hour, Gary also sat down with his daughter on camera to go over the decision. Leah said her doctor explained how to take birth control and gave her "a whole talk" about sex.

"Good, I know you're not even thinking like that," he told his daughter, before giving her a warning. "I'm glad you have that mindset, but guys are sly, they'll say certain things to make you feel special. You also gotta keep in your mind, as you already are, if you play, you pay."

As he continued to caution her to "be smart" when it comes to sex, Leah said it was something he didn't have to worry about. "I would rather you be safe and protected than trying to go behind somebody's back to do something stupid or silly," added Gary, telling her, "I can protect you better if I know more."

While she heard what he was saying, Leah also said she was more likely to speak with Kristina about any issues regarding sexual health going forward -- telling him, "It just makes sense because she's a woman and probably understands more things from the point of view I have and then we'd find a way to tell you."

The episode ended with Leah in her own confessional, telling viewers that "conversations about our bodies and sexual things and things like that is always awkward and probably a little bit uncomfortable."

"You have to have enough trust built up to be able to talk about those things, so I'm really lucky I have Kristina and my dad to talk to and to understand me," she continued. "I do not think I would be able to have a kid anytime soon because my parents were obviously very young. Just even thinking about it is really stressful because I have my own life right now, I have a chance to go to college, to even have a good career and I want to be able to have a kid when I have a job and a future I can look to and not be so young I'm strapped and deprived from that."