Teenage Pregnancy: Causes, Effects and Preventive Measures

Table of Contents

Teenage Pregnancy:

Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs in teen girls between the ages of 13-19 years.
Although precisely not a teenager, a young girl 12 or under who is pregnant also fall into this definition of teenage pregnancy.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 194,377 babies were born in 2017 to 15 to 19 year-olds.
Teenage pregnancy is also widely known as adolescent pregnancy.
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in 2014, about 77 percent of the pregnancies were unplanned.
Teenage pregnancy can risk the health of teen mom and even of the child with an adverse effects on health.

Global Facts on Teenage Pregnancy:

Almost 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 years and 2.5 million girls under 16 years give birth each year in developing regions (UNFPA, 2015)
Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for 15 to 19- year-old girls globally (World Health Organization, 2015)
Every year, some 3.9 million girls aged 15 to 19 years undergo unsafe abortions (Guttmacher institute, 2016)
Adolescent mothers (ages 10 to 19 years) face higher risks of eclampsia, puerperal endometritis, and systemic infections than women aged 20 to 24 years do.

Twenty-three million girls aged 15 to 19 years in developing regions have an unmet need for modern contraception. As a result, half of the pregnancies among girls aged 15 to 19 years in developing regions are estimated to be unintended (Guttmacher institute, 2016)
Adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributor to maternal and child mortality, and to intergenerational cycles of ill health and poverty.
Every day, 20,000 girls below age 18 give birth in developing countries.
Nine in 10 of these births occur within a marriage or a union highlighting the scourge of child marriage.
According to UNFPA, out of 500 million adolescent girls in the developing world, more than 3 million of them aged 10 to 19 live in Nepal.

Why Do These Early Pregnancies Occur?

According to World Health Organization (WHO), some girls/women get pregnant because they are unable to refuse unwanted sex or to resist forced or coerced sex.
Others do so because they do not know how to avoid a pregnancy or are unable to obtain contraceptives, including emergency contraception.
Still, others get pregnant because their pregnancy is wanted by themselves or by influential people around them.

Main Causes/Factors Contributing to Teenage Pregnancy:

Lack of parental care
Lack of formal and informal education
Lack of sex education
Insufficient communication and supervision by parents.
Poverty
Peer pressure
Low educational level
Negative family interactions

Single parent families
Sexual abuse or Rape
Substance abuse
Socio-economic status
Family history of teenage pregnancies
Forced marriage
Child marriage
Lack of school fees
Desire for children
Insufficient knowledge of contraceptive devices

Adverse Effects of Teenage Pregnancy:

High social and economic costs of teen pregnancy and childbearing can have short and long-term negative consequences for teen parents, their children, and their community.
High risk of Low Birth Weight (LBW) child
High chances of premature infants
Anemia
Pre-eclampsia
High risk of Infant mortality
Drop out of school
Lower school accomplishment
Unemployment/ underemployment as a young adult
Lack of proper emotional support and cognitive stimulation by the children who are born to teen mothers.
Behavioral problems and chronic medical conditions of the children
Higher chances of foster care settlement of the children.

Teen mom goes through various mental stress due to unplanned pregnancy such as:
- Sleepless nights
- Insomnia
- High chances of postpartum depression
- Baby blues: Woman experiences symptoms like mood swings, anxiety, sadness, overwhelm, difficulty concentrating, trouble eating, and difficulty sleeping for one to two weeks after giving birth which collectively known as ‘Baby Blues’.

More chances to experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that includes more severe and significant symptoms than baby blues. Likewise, the teen mom can have additional symptoms of postpartum depression like-

Difficulty bonding with baby
Overwhelming fatigue
Feeling of worthless
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Thinking of harming own self or the baby
Difficulty in enjoying activities

Mitigation Measures for Preventing Teenage Pregnancy:

1. Abstinence

Self-restraint from sexual activity at early age is the best way to prevent teenage pregnancy.

2. Contraceptives

Using contraceptive devices or emergency pills during a sexual intercourse helps in preventing teenage pregnancy and early parenthood.

3. Communication

Active and positive interaction between child-parent regarding sex education or difficulties may prove beneficial to step down the barriers of early pregnancy.

4. Provision sex education in higher secondary schools along with the consequences.

Targeting messages at teen boys, not just at the girls.
Increasing the availability of condoms to teens.
Encourage mentoring by older teens to younger teens regarding teenage pregnancy and consequences.

5. Organizing community-based programs on teenage pregnancy and adverse effects.

6. Schools should provide adolescent-friendly health services along with counseling.