Teen Pregnancy and Parenting

Risks and Consequences

By Teresa A. Valdez

For the purpose of this web page teen pregnancy is defined as a pregnancy that occurs in an adolescent. An adolescent is a female who has reached puberty and is nineteen years old or younger. Puberty is the stage of adolescence when a girl can sexually reproduce. This web page is designed to address the Risks and Consequences associated with Teen Age pregnancy. The information provided is for parents, pregnant teens and any students or individuals who wish to inform themselves of the risks associated with teen pregnancy. This web page was developed in accordance with the requirements provided by Dr. Chantel Lumpkin for FCS 210- Adolescent Development at Western Michigan University, Spring 2006.

Risks Associated with Teenage Pregnancy

There are two major categories of risks associated with Teen Pregnancy.

The first category is risk to self.

The second category is risk to child.

Risk to Self

Physical Health Risks

• Teenage mothers are at a high risk for the following medical conditions:
• Pregnancy Induced Hypertension-PIH increases the risks of placental abruption, maternal renal failure and cerebral hemorrhage. PIH occurs in about 5% of the population of pregnant women. There is an increase of PIH in African-American women and Caucasions under the age of 20.
• Anemia- Anemia is a low concetration of hemoglobin in the blood. Approximately 14% of pregnant women develop anemia. Anemia is more likely to occur in higher rates amongst adolescents because of the insufficient amount of healthy caloric intake needed during pregnancy. There is a higher percentage of 15-19 year olds who develop anemia than women from 20-44.
• Pre term Delivery- Defined as delivery less than 37 weeks of gestation from the last menstrual period. Risks of pre term delivery occurs more in women who have had medical complication in pregnancy such as PIH or anemia. Teenagers who do not receive proper prenatal care have an increased chance of pre term delivery. Treatment of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases (more common in teenagers) reduces the risks associated with Pre term delivery.
• Low weight gain- although coming from a teenagers point of view low weight gain might be seen as a positive-low weight gain increases the risk of having a low birth-weight baby (less than 5 1/2 lbs). You can see the effect this has on the infant in the Risk to Infant section.
• Pregnant teens are least likely of all maternal age groups to get early and regular prenatal care. Pregnant teens are more likely to smoke while pregnant than women over twenty five. Smoking doubles a woman's risk of having a low-birth weight baby and increases the risk of pregnancy complications, premature birth and still birth.

Mental Health Risks

• Teenage pregnancy is usually a crisis for the pregnant adolescent. Common reactions include anger, guilt, and denial.
• Depression is common among pregnant teens.
• Feelings of anxiety and fear also increase in teenage parents as well as pregnant teens.
• Special support systems can assist the teenager with her emotional reaction, her mental state and the decision about whether to keep the baby, give the infant up for adoption or abort the fetus.

Social Risks

• Teen Mothers are more likely to drop out of high school than females who delay having children, resulting in social isolation from their peer group. Only 41% of teenagers who have children before age 18 graduate from high school compared to 61% of teens from similar social and economic backgrounds who delayed childbirth until age 20 or 21.
• With an incomplete education a teenage mother my lack necessary job skills.
• Teenage parents are more likely to rely of family support or public assistance to meet her and her child's basic needs.
• Teen mothers are more likely to live in poverty. Over 75% of all unmarried teen mothers go on welfare within five years of the birth of their child. This creates a cycle of continued poverty and welfare dependency.
• Teens may not have acquired the necessary positive parenting skills and life skills necessary to cope with the stress and joy of having and rasing a child.
• Increased exposure to domestic abuse and violence.
• Public cost related to teenage childbearing over a five year period (1985-1990) totaled 120.3 billion dollars. This price includes Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Medicaid and Food Assistance programs.

Risks to the Infant

Medical Risks of Infant born to Teen Mothers

• 9.6 percent of young mothers has a low birth weight baby. Low birth weight babies my have organs that are not fully developed. Underdeveloped organs can lead to lung problems such as respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding in the brain, vision loss and serious intestinal problems.
• Low-birth weight babies are more than twenty times as likely to die in their first year of life versus a normal-weight baby. Low birth weight and pre maturity also raise the probability of infant death, blindness, deafness, mental retardation and cerebral palsy.
• Teenage mothers tend to have poor eating habits and are less likely to take daily prenatal vitamins to maintain adequate nutrition during pregnancy. They are also more likely to smoke, drink and take social drugs during pregnancy which can cause health problems for the baby.
• Minor acute infections.
• Lack of access to medical care and lack of immunization or vaccination
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Mental Risks of Infants born to Teen Mothers

• Increase risk of behavioral problems
• Increase risk of developmental delay and learning disabilities.
• Less likely to receive early and continuing cognitive and social stimulation, resulting in underdeveloped intellect and lower rates of academic achievement.

Social Risks of Infants born to Teen Mothers

• Greater risk for abuse and neglect.
• Boys born to teenage mothers are three time more likely to be incarcerated than sons of mothers who delay childbearing.
• Girls born to teenage mothers are 22% more likely to become teenage mothers.
• Children of teenage mothers have increased incidents of trouble in school or with the law.
• Exposure to domestic violence.

Consequences Associated With Teenage Pregnancy

• Teenage births are associated with lower annual income for the mother. 80% of whom will eventually rely on welfare.
• Teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of school and only 1/3 will continue on to receive a high school diploma.
• Teenage pregnancies are associated with an increased rate of delinquent behaviors in the fathers: including alcohol and drug abuse, lower educational level and reduction of future potential income.
• The United States estimates the total ANNUAL cost associated with Teenage Pregnancy to be 7 BILLION dollars. This sum includes public assistance, child health care, foster care, involvement with the criminal justice system and lost tax revenues.

Statistics

Teen Pregnancy

·  Each year, almost 1 million teenage women--10% of all women aged 15-19 and 19% of those who have had sexual intercourse--become pregnant.²⁰

·  The overall U.S. teenage pregnancy rate declined 17% between 1990 and 1996, from 117 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19 to 97 per 1,000.²¹

·  78% of teen pregnancies are unplanned, accounting for about 1/4 of all accidental pregnancies annually.²²

·  6 in 10 teen pregnancies occur among 18-19 year-olds.²³

·  Teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in many other developed countries--twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and nine times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan.²⁴

·  Steep decreases in the pregnancy rate among sexually experienced teenagers accounted for most of the drop in the overall teenage pregnancy rate in the early-to-mid 1990s. While 20% of the decline is because of decreased sexual activity, 80% is due to more effective contraceptive practice.²⁵

Sources
The data in this fact sheet are the most current available. Most of the data are from research conducted by The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) or published in the peer-reviewed journal Family Planning Perspectives and the 1994 AGI report Sex and America's Teenagers. Additional sources include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics.

Frequently Asked Questions

For a list of frequently asked questions regarding Teenage Pregnancy please visit the site http://www.teenpregnancy.org/about/faq.asp

Teens who are already pregnant can offset many of the medical risks associated with teen pregnancy by doing the following things:

• Get early and regular prenatal care-take prenatal vitamins
• Eat a nutritious and balanced diet
• Stop smoking/drinking alcohol/or using illicit drugs.
• Attend parenting/interpersonal communication and life skills classes
• Seek counseling when needed
• Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask for help

For more information on Teenage Pregnancy follow the links below:

Prevention: http://www.neahin.org/programs/reproductive/teenpreg.htm

Counseling: http://cathyatchrysalis.com/index_files/Page451.htm (personal favorite-very informative)

Facts and Statistics by Shannon Mavis : http://homepages.wmich.edu/~s3mavis/teenpregnancy.htm

Cultural Difference and Statistics by Miranda Marshall: http://homepages.wmich.edu/%7Em2marsha/teenpregnancy.htm