Teen Pregnancy Facts – Prevention of Teen Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy is a prime issue of concern across the globe as this has a direct impact on the health of women in general. When a minor girl conceives either within or outside marriage it is known as Teenage Pregnancy. The average age for a woman to reach adulthood is estimated at 18 years and most medical experts opine that this is the right age when one can start thinking about motherhood. When a woman is around 18 years old he/she develops physical maturity to conceive and carry a child and any pregnancy which happens before that age can be said to be teen pregnancy.

Research has revealed that a woman starts showing the signs of sexual development as early as 13 years. However even then her physique is not well developed to bear the strains of pregnancy and at times pregnancy at such an early age can prove to be fatal. Especially if the mother is below 15 years she is likely to face severe problem. It is seen that if the age of teenage mothers is between 15 to 18 years she would face relatively less risk. Nonetheless most teenage mothers face miscarriage and give birth to premature babies. At times they suffer from life threatening conditions which can lead to eventual fatality.

Teenage pregnancy is common in developing countries like India and Pakistan where women are married off at a young age. However it is not uncommon in developed countries as well owing to the permissive nature of the society.

Apart from physical consequences teenage pregnancy also has severe social and mental implications for a woman. In most of the countries, early pregnancy is associated with social stigma and shame. Such pregnancies are believed to happen due to lack of education and proper sexual knowledge. Often the teen mother is socially isolated and she faces severe mental trauma owing to this social stigma.

Lack of proper sex education and ignorance about pregnancy prevention measures result in teenage pregnancy is rural and lower socio economic sectors of society. Many teenagers do not have the knowledge about the use contraceptives and this result in unwanted pregnancies. Sometimes teenagers living in a repressed society get pregnant due to peer pressure and insistence of their partners.

Sexual urge is believed to be stimulated by the consumption of alcohol and narcotic drugs and this often results in unwanted sex leading to pregnancy in teenage girls. Apart from affecting the health of the mother, Teenage Pregnancy can also have far reaching effects on the child. In some instances, children born of teenage mothers have developed behavioral and developmental complications.

This is chiefly due to the fact that in most cases teenage mothers are believed to be less caring than normal mothers. Sexual abuse and rape often leads to teenage girls getting pregnant and thus often they harbor a negative feeling toward the child. The atmosphere of the home often plays an indirect but significant role in teenage pregnancies. It has been seen that girls whose fathers left the family have a greater possibility of getting into sexual activities early and conceiving prematurely.

The chief mode of prevention of teenage pregnancy is raising sexual awareness and encouraging the use of condoms. Educational institutes need to play a significant role in this process.

1. By Ross at 11th August, 2010

   it’s kinda frightening… i can honestly say that if my child ever came telling me she is pregnant, then i would throw them out in the street and never let them come back. i wann to prevent teen pregnacies from happening!!!!!!!!

2. By Amber at 13th October, 2010

   Im sixteen and pregnant and i would never think about getting rid of my unborn daughter thats just wrong and who ever does it is just cruel and wrong and should have never been born themselves

3. By Mikaela at 17th October, 2010

   there are so many ways to prevent teen pregnancy , i just dont get why people dont use it !!!

4. By Haley at 3rd November, 2010

   dear Ross. and any other parents thinking the same as her…
   I am a teenager and i can say that u dont have to support it but you shouldnt throw them out on the street. because if u do that than there gonna have no where to go and are valnurable to anything. and if they have no where to go they sometimes turn to drugs and other things and than they dont get to finish high school so not only have you just ruined there life but you ruin there childs life, an innocent little baby who did nothing wrong and dosnt deserve it. And than you also have to think that u have to live with the guilt of everything you caused stuck with you for the rest of your entire life. You can tell them that u will throw them out if they get pregnant but dont be so strict and scary about it because than if it ever dose happen they will be scard to death to come tell u or talk to u about it… sorry but there is just somethings that i cants keep quiet about.. PS i know im a bad speller :/

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