Teenage Pregnancy: Causes, Effects, Consequences, Prevention, Risks
Definition of Teenage Pregnancy:
Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in females under the age of 20. A female can become pregnant from sexual intercourse after she has begun to ovulate, which can be before her first menstrual period (menarche) but usually occurs after the onset of her periods. In well-nourished females, menarche usually takes place around the age of 12 or 13. Teen pregnancies carry extra health risks to both the mother and the baby. Risks for the baby include premature birth and a low birth weight.
13 Causes of Teenage Pregnancy:
Main causes of teenage pregnancy include the following:
- Poverty,
- Broken home,
- Separation of couple,
- Single parent,
- Death of their parent(s),
- Peer pressure or influence,
- Religious beliefs and practices,
- Rape and sexual abuse,
- Alcoholism and drug abuse,
- Environmental influence,
- Lack of knowledge or ignorance,
- Pornography,
- Lust- some teenagers get into sexual relationships because of lust.
Risks of Teenage Pregnancy:
There are a number of risk factors for teenage pregnancy. They include:
- Family situations with regular conflict between members,
- Unstable housing arrangements,
- Violence and sexual abuse in childhood,
- Poor school performance,
- Poor school attendance,
- Low socioeconomic background,
- Family history of teenage pregnancies,
- Low maternal education,
- Low self-esteem,
- In a relationship with an older partner,
- Living in rural and remote areas.
You can also read: 10 Qualities of a Midwife or Midwifery Nurse
Effects or Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy:
All the effects or consequences of teenage pregnancy have listed in the below:
- School dropout,
- Fatherless or bastard children,
- Street children,
- Arm robbery,
- Dependency burden,
- Death,
- Increase in economic hardship,
- Spread of diseases,
- Abortion,
- Family conflicts.
Physical Effects of Teenage Pregnancy:
According to the National Institutes of Health, there’s a higher risk of the following in teenage pregnancy:
- Preeclampsia,
- Anemia,
- Contracting STDs (sexually transmitted diseases),
- Premature delivery,
- Delivering at low birth weight,
- Pregnancy Induced Hypertension,
- Pregnancy induced diabetes mellitus,
- Obstructed labor,
- Postpartum hemorrhage.
Prevention and Control of Teenage Pregnancy:
It includes-
- Sex education.
- Charity and humanitarian aids.
- Provision of studying materials.
- Adult education.
- Law enforcement.
- Community outreach programmes.
- Supporting efforts to prevent teen pregnancy by providing affordable family planning services.
- Developing clinical guidance for safe and effective use of birth control.
- Developing and evaluating programs in communities where teen births are highest.
- Choose not to have sex.
- Talk openly to parents or other trusted adults and ask how they can get birth control if they choose to be sexually active.
- Talk with a health care provider to learn about the best types of birth control for them and use it and condoms correctly every time.
- Find a nearby clinic that provides birth control.
More questions related to this article:
- Define teenage pregnancy.
- Define the term teenage pregnancy.
- What do you mean by teenage pregnancy?
- What are the causes of teenage pregnancy?
- Mention the causes of teenage pregnancy?
- What are the reasons of teenage pregnancy?
- What are the effects of teenage pregnancy?
- What are the consequences of teenage pregnancy?
- Who is at risk of teenage pregnancy?
- What re the physical effects of teenage pregnancy?
- Mention the prevention of teenage pregnancy.
- How to prevent and control teenage pregnancy?
- Explain the strategies apply for prevention of early pregnancy.
