RENO, Nev. — Lindsey Harrison doesn't glamorize teen pregnancy.
The Reno 17-year-old talks honestly about struggles with her boyfriend, family, friends and finishing high school in the April 10 episode of MTV hit series "16 and Pregnant."
"You're only young once, but you can have a baby anytime," said Harrison, who said if she could do it over again she would wait to have children.
"I feel like every girl can wait. It's so important to have a baby when you don't have to rely on everyone else to help you. When you're young you have to have help."
The episode was shot in Reno last fall, ahead of the birth of Harrison's daughter Aniyah Monroe Ponce on October 13, 2011. The healthy baby girl is now 6 months old.
Harrison said when she found out she was pregnant her older sister suggested she apply to be on the series that has followed the ups and downs of teen parenthood since 2009.
She applied online and heard back two days later.
It is the fourth season of the docu-series, which averaged about 2 million viewers per episode last year. MTV will not discuss the financial contract with the teens it follows but some online sites have said the stipend tops $50,000. Some of MTV's teen stars have gone on to make headlines, including former stars of the show Josh and Ebony Rendon. The couple recently announced they were expecting a second child after losing custody of their daughter last year.
The episode, featuring Harrison, shows familiar landmarks including the Reno Arch and tapes the teen talking with family, friends and her boyfriend at an Aces baseball game, Saint Mary's Hospital and local restaurants.
MTV said the show has helped teen pregnancy rates decline because it shows the challenges of pregnancy. The show said its "Teen Mom" franchise, which also includes a series documenting the lives of teen parents through parenthood, has been cited for helping contribute to the 9 percent annual decline in teen birth rates in the United States, according to 2010 statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Planned Parenthood isn't so sure. Nevada has a high teen pregnancy rate, said Alison Gaulden of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, a branch of the nonprofit that oversees 29 counties in California and 13 counties in Northern Nevada.
"We keep an eye on the show and get mixed reports about it being a great deterrent," said Gualden.
"It might not glamorize teen pregnancy but then you see these kids involved in some sort of violence and they are in 'People' magazine," she said. "It doesn't matter if they aren't in the magazine for a good reason. Some see it as they got to be in 'People,' and they are getting paid to be in it."
Gaulden said finishing school is a big struggle for local teens.
Harrison agreed.
She was a student at Reed High School before transferring to the I Can Do Anything Charter High School a month before she found out she was pregnant. She is now taking classes online and hopes to graduate next year.
"I want to be successful because of the baby, but it's hard," said Harrison, who wants to become a professional cage fighter and go to school to be a criminal investigator.
The teen admitted life changed after having a baby, but knew having an abortion was not the right decision for her.
"I even had an appointment," said Harrison, who had friends, her family and boyfriend suggest she terminate her pregnancy.
"But I knew I could handle it. I got pregnant for a reason," she said. "Now that I'm a mom, I think I got pregnant to show myself how strong I am."
She's not friends with the same girlfriends shown in the episode.
"Everyone goes separate ways and has a party life," said Harrison, who swapped what most kids her age are doing for late night feedings and diapers.
"I'm not mad at them at all because they don't want the life of a 30-year-old," she said.
In the episode, Harrison fights with her boyfriend. She is frustrated with him for not getting a job, while she works long hours at a McDonald's.
"It's gotten way better now," she said. "I just kept remembering how good things were when we were first together and some people might have given up on that."
Harrison said her boyfriend, Forest Ponce, will graduate from North Valleys High in June and makes some money breeding pit bulls.
They plan to marry someday, when they can afford to do things the right way.
"We don't want a cheap ring, but we want to do it one day when we can afford it and remember it," she said.
The episode also features Harrison upset about having to give up training at Reno Academy of Combat to become a professional cage fighter.
She said she is training twice a week now and hopes to become a professional fighter.
Rick Collup at the Reno Academy of Combat said Harrison is tough. Collup appears in the April 10 episode.
"I'm used to a lot of people leaving for some reason and then coming back," he said. "It's all up to her and how hard she can train to see how far she can go. I think she can do it."