Adolescent pregnancy Health Article

Expectations (prognosis)

Having her first child during adolescence makes a woman more likely to have more children overall. Such women are also less likely to receive child support from biological fathers, less likely to complete their education, and less likely to establish independence and financial security that enables them to provide for herself and her children without outside assistance.

Married teen mothers are more likely to get divorced than married women who postpone childbearing until their 20s.

Infants born to teenage mothers are at greater risk for developmental problems. Girls born to teen mothers are more likely to become teen mothers themselves, and boys born to teen mothers have a higher-than-average rate of being arrested and jailed.

Complications

Adolescent pregnancy is associated with higher rates of illness and death for both the mother and infant.

Pregnant teens are at much higher risk of dying or having serious medical complications such as toxemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension, significant anemia, premature delivery, or placenta previa.

Infants born to teens are 2 to 6 times more likely to have low birth weight than those born to mothers age 20 or older. Prematurity plays the greatest role in this, but intrauterine growth retardation (inadequate growth of the fetus during pregnancy) is also a factor.

Teen mothers are more likely to have unhealthy habits that place the infant at greater risk for inadequate growth, infection, or chemical dependence. The younger a mother is below age 20, the greater the risk of her infant dying during the first year of life.

It is very important for pregnant teens to have early and adequate prenatal care.

Calling your health care provider

Make an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms of pregnancy occur.

Your health care provider can also provide counseling regarding birth control methods or pregnancy risk.

Prevention

There are many different kinds of teen-pregnancy prevention programs.

Abstinence education programs encourage postponing sexual involvement until marriage or until a person is mature enough to handle sexual activity, and a potential pregnancy, in a responsible manner.

Knowledge-based programs focus on teaching adolescents about their bodies and normal functions as well as providing detailed information about contraceptives.

Clinic-focused programs provide easier access to information, counseling by health care providers, and contraceptive services. Many of these are through school-based clinics.

Peer counseling programs typically involve older and respected teens who encourage other teens to resist peer and social pressures to become sexually involved. These programs tend to take more of an experiential approach, helping teens to personalize risks. Peer counseling programs also provide, for those teens already involved in sexual activities, the skills to negotiate within relationships and the information needed to obtain and successfully use contraceptives.

References

U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics:Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information. New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute; 2004