Teenage Pregnancy
Most teenagers don’t plan to get pregnant, but many do. Teen pregnancies carry extra health risks to the mother and the infant. Often, teenagers don’t receive timely prenatal care, and they have a higher risk for pregnancy-related diseases and its complications.
Teenage births pose considerable health risk for the baby including the following:
- Teenage mothers sometimes fail to gain adequate weight during their pregancy, leading to low birth weight, which can lead to infant and childhood disorders or infant mortality. Low-birthweight babies are more likely to have underdeveloped, which can result in a variety of complications.
- Teenage mothers tend to have unhealthier diet and disregard recommended daily multivitamins. They are also more likely to smoke, drink, or take drugs during pregnancy, which can cause health problems for the baby.
- Teenage mothers are less likely to seek regular prenatal care which is essential for monitoring the growth of the fetus and advising the mother on nutrition and ensuring a healthy pregnancy.
- In case of unprotected sex, the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases are really high. These diseases then get contracted to a baby.
In addition to increased health risks, children born to teenage mothers are more likely to experience social, emotional, and other problems such as abuse and neglect, lack of proper nutrition, health care, and attention.
Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of school and only about one-third obtain a high school diploma. In the United States, the annual cost of teenage pregnancies from lost tax revenues, public assistance, child health care, and foster care, is estimated to be about $7 billion.