Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20.
Worldwide, pregnancy complications are the leading cause of death for women and girls 15 to 19 years old.[3] The definition of teenage pregnancy includes those who are legally considered adults in their country.[2] The WHO defines adolescence as the period between the ages of 10 and 19 years.[5] Pregnancy can occur with sexual intercourse after the start of ovulation, which can happen before the first menstrual period (menarche).[6] In healthy, well-nourished girls, the first period usually takes place between the ages of 12 and 13.[7]
Pregnant teenagers face many of the same pregnancy-related issues as older women.[8][9] Teenagers are more likely to experience pregnancy complications or maternal death than women aged 20 or older. There are additional concerns for those under the age of 15 as they are less likely to be physically developed to sustain a healthy pregnancy or to give birth.[10] For girls aged 15–19, risks are associated more with socioeconomic factors than with the biological effects of age.[11] Risks of low birth weight, premature labor, anemia, and pre-eclampsia are not connected to biological age by the time a girl is 16, as they are not observed in births to older teens after controlling for other risk factors, such as access to high-quality prenatal care.[12][13]
Teenage pregnancies are related to social issues, including lower educational levels and poverty.[3] Teenage pregnancy in developed countries is usually outside of marriage and is often associated with a social stigma.[14] Teenage pregnancy in developing countries often occurs within marriage and approximately half are planned.[3] However, in these societies, early pregnancy may combine with malnutrition and poor health care to cause medical problems. When used in combination, educational interventions and access to birth control can reduce unintended teenage pregnancies.[4][15]
In 2023, about 41 females per 1,000 gave birth between the ages of 15 and 19, as compared with roughly 65 births per 1000 in 2000.[16] From 2015 to 2021, an estimated 14 percent of adolescent girls and young women globally reported giving birth before age 18.[17] The adolescent birth rate is higher in lower- and middle-income countries (LMIC) as compared to higher- income countries. In the developing world, approximately 2.5 million females aged 15 to 19 years old have children each year.[3] Another 3.9 million have abortions.[3] It is more common in rural than urban areas.[3]
In 2021, 13.3 million babies, or about 10 percent of the total worldwide, were born to mothers under 20 years old.[18]
History[edit]
Teenage pregnancy (with conceptions normally involving girls between ages 16 and 19) was far more normal in previous centuries, and common in developed countries in the 20th century. Among Norwegian women born in the early 1950s, nearly a quarter became teenage mothers by the early 1970s. However, the rates have steadily declined throughout the developed world since that 20th-century peak. Among those born in Norway in the late 1970s, less than 10% became teenage mothers, and rates have fallen since then.[22][23]
In the United States, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 included the objective of reducing the number of young Black and Latina single mothers on welfare, which became the foundation for teenage pregnancy prevention in the United States and the founding of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, now known as Power to Decide.[24]
Risk factors[edit]
Culture[edit]
Rates of teenage pregnancies are higher in societies where it is traditional for girls to marry young and where they are encouraged to bear children as soon as they are able. For example, in some sub-Saharan African countries, early pregnancy is often seen as a blessing because it is proof of the young woman's fertility.[51] Countries where teenage marriages are common experience higher levels of teenage pregnancies. In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage and pregnancy is more common in traditional rural communities than in cities.[59] Many teenagers are not taught about methods of birth control and how to deal with peers who pressure them into having sex before they are ready. Many pregnant teenagers do not have any cognition of the central facts of sexuality.[60]
Economic incentives also influence the decision to have children. In societies where children are set to work at an early age, it is economically attractive to have many children.[61]
In societies where adolescent marriage is less common, such as many developed countries, young age at first intercourse and lack of use of contraceptive methods (or their inconsistent and/or incorrect use; the use of a method with a high failure rate is also a problem) may be factors in teen pregnancy.[62][63] Most teenage pregnancies in the developed world appear to be unplanned.[63][64] Many Western countries have instituted sex education programs, the main objective of which is to reduce unplanned pregnancies and STIs. Countries with low levels of teenagers giving birth accept sexual relationships among teenagers and provide comprehensive and balanced information about sexuality.[65]
Teenage pregnancies are common among Romani people because they marry earlier.[66]
Other family members[edit]
Teen pregnancy and motherhood can influence younger siblings. One study found that the younger sisters of teen mothers were less likely to emphasize the importance of education and employment and more likely to accept human sexual behavior, parenting, and marriage at younger ages. Younger brothers, too, were found to be more tolerant of non-marital and early births, in addition to being more susceptible to high-risk behaviors.[67] If the younger sisters of teenage parents babysit the children, they have an increased probability of getting pregnant themselves.[68] Once an older daughter has a child, parents often become more accepting as time goes by.[69] A study from Norway in 2011 found that the probability of a younger sister having a teenage pregnancy went from 1:5 to 2:5 if the elder sister had a baby as a teenager.[70]
Teenage fatherhood[edit]
In some cases, the father of the child is the husband of the teenage girl. The conception may occur within wedlock, or the pregnancy itself may precipitate the marriage (the so-called shotgun wedding). In countries such as India, the majority of teenage births occur within marriage.[59][62]
In other countries, such as the US and Ireland, the majority of teenage mothers are not married to the father of their children.[62][149] In the UK, half of all teenagers with children are lone parents, 40% are cohabitating as a couple and 10% are married.[150] Teenage parents are frequently in a romantic relationship at the time of birth, but many adolescent fathers do not stay with the mother and this often disrupts their relationship with the child. US surveys tend to under-report the prevalence of teen fatherhood.[151]
In many cases, "teenage father" may be a misnomer. Studies by the Population Reference Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics found that about two-thirds of births to teenage girls in the US are fathered by adult men aged over 20.[152][153] The Guttmacher Institute reports that over 40% of mothers aged 15–17 had sexual partners three to five years older and almost one in five had partners six or more years older.[154] A 1990 study of births to California teens reported that the younger the mother, the greater the age gap with her male partner.[155] In the UK, 72% of jointly registered births to women aged under 20, the father is over 20, with almost 1 in 4 being over 25.[156]