Adolescent Pregnancy

Adolescent or teenage pregnancy is pregnancy in under the age of 20.

Adolescent pregnancies occur in most parts of the world but a higher percentage are in developing countries. 

The average adolescent pregnancy and birth rate in middle-income countries is more than twice as high as that in high-income countries, with the rate in low-income countries being five times as high.

Note: a girl can become pregnant from sexual intercourse after she has begun to ovulate which can be before menarche, but usually occurs after the start of her periods.

Half of all adolescent births occur in just seven countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and the United States (WHO, 2016)

Risks associated with adolescent pregnancy include:

• ·        Low Birth Weight
• ·        Premature Labor
• ·        Anemia
• ·        Pre-Eclampsia/Eclampsia
• ·        Obstructed Labour
• ·        UGF (Uro-Genital Fistulas)
• ·        Post-Partum Haemorrhage
• ·        Depression

Adolescent pregnancies can be reduced with education where both the individual and her family are made aware of the health and social implications.



 Michael Akaka, 2016. Adolescent Pregnancy. ©Knightmode