MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Long-acting contraceptive devices should be the first choice of birth control for teenage girls, new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics state.

Although most U.S. teens opt for condoms or birth control pills, two other forms of contraception -- intrauterine devices (IUDs) and contraceptive implants -- are much more reliable, according to the academy.

And they should be the "first-line" choices for teenage girls who don't want to remain abstinent, the academy says in guidelines published Sept. 29 in the journal Pediatrics.

The advice is in line with guidelines from other medical societies, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

But experts said they hope the official recommendation to pediatricians will increase teenage girls' use of IUDs and implants.

The academy's move is "fantastic," said Dr. David Eisenberg, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University in St. Louis.

"I'm happy to see that every major medical or public health organization in the United States agree that IUDs and implants should be the 'default' first-line contraceptive methods for all women and girls who want them," said Eisenberg, who was not involved in writing the guidelines.

According to Planned Parenthood, IUDs are implanted in the uterus, where they release small amounts of either copper or the hormone progestin. The contraceptive implant, about the size of a matchstick, is inserted under the skin of the arm, where it releases controlled amounts of progestin.

The hormonal IUD (sold under the brand name Mirena) can prevent pregnancy for five years, while the copper version (ParaGard) is effective for about 10 years, according to Planned Parenthood. The contraceptive implant (Implanon, Nexplanon) works for up to three years.

The contraceptives are sometimes called "set and forget" birth control, noted Megan Kavanaugh, a researcher at the Guttmacher Institute in New York City -- a nonprofit organization that focuses on reproductive health.

For condoms and birth control pills to be most effective, people have to use them perfectly. Not so with IUDs and implants, Kavanaugh pointed out.