TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Definition

It's called teenage pregnancy to pregnancy occurring in women younger than 19 years.

Causes, Incidence And Risk Factors

The causes of teenage pregnancy are politically controversial, emotionally charged, and numerous. You should examine many factors in addition to the obvious cause is that teens have sex without adequate contraception.Since there is no 100% effective contraception, abstinence is the surest way to prevent pregnancy.

Statistics show that 18% of American adolescents have experienced sex before 15 years of age.Furthermore, this number increases to 66% of unmarried adolescents have sexual experiences before age 19. Studies have shown that at the age of 20 years, 75% of women and 86% of American men are sexually active. Why teens have sex, and why do so without effective methods of contraception, is a hot topic of discussion. The reasons suggested are the following.

Adolescents become fertile about 4 or 5 years before being emotionally mature.

Today's teens grow up surrounded by a culture in which peers, TV, film, music, and magazines often transmit manifest or secret messages in which sexual relations outside of marriage (especially those involving teenagers) are common, accepted and sometimes expected.

Normally not offered at home, school or education community responsible sexual behavior specific and clear information on the consequences of sexual intercourse (including pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and psychosocial effects). Therefore, much of the "sex education" that adolescents receive filters comes through without being uninformed or colleagues.

Teens who choose to be sexually active in their often limited contraceptive choices to information from peers, parental influences, financial, cultural, and political as well as their development is limited (as it is physical before emotional).

The incidence of teenage pregnancy grows. The percentage of births to unmarried adolescents in the United States has increased by 74.4% between 1975 and 1989.
 

In 1990 there were 521,826 live births to teenage mothers, representing 12.5% ​​of all U.S. births that year. Of these teenage mothers, 19.4% had a child once and 4.0% had given birth twice. 
When compared with other industrialized nations, the United States have a high rate of pregnancy, abortion, and teen births despite the statistics regarding sexual activity is similar to that of other countries. It is estimated that in the United States at the age of 20 years, 40% of white women and 64% of black women have experienced at least 1 pregnancy.

The potential risk for adolescent girls to get pregnant aquedarse include:

• The early sexual contacts (age 12 years is associated with a 91% chance of being pregnant before age 19 and age 13 is associated with 56% of teenage pregnancies).
• The early use of alcohol and / or other drugs, including products such as snuff, leaving school, the lack of a support group or few friends.
• The lack of interest in school, family, or community activities.
• Perceive little or no opportunity for success.
• Living in communities or schools where early pregnancies are common and considered the norm rather than a cause for concern.
• Growing up in impoverished conditions.
• Having been a victim of sexual assault or abuse, or when their mothers in turn have given birth before age 19.

Prevention

There are models for the prevention of teen pregnancy. The programs tend to focus on particular or use a combination of approaches. Most adolescent programs for the prevention of pregnancy using methods that are in the following categories.

The programs promote abstinence education delay the start in sexual contact until the person is mature and sufficiently skilled to handle sexual activity in a responsible and able to manage and be accountable to a potential pregnancy.

Programs are based and focused on the adolescent's knowledge about their bodies and normal functions as well as giving detailed information about contraceptives.

Other more clinical programs in schools, focused on providing easier access to information, advised by health care and contraceptive services.

The partner who advises teens programs usually meet known and older people to facilitate discussions that explore the feelings and attitudes about physical impulses faced in relationships, then encourages other teens to resist her partner and social pressures to get become sexually involved. These programs tend to take more than an experimental example, helping teens to personalize the risk. They also teach the use of certain barrier methods playing and other methods, when they become sexually active. The monitor program must also include these adolescents already involved in sexual activities, to demonstrate their experiences within the sex and all the information you need to get on contraceptive use.

SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY

Symptoms of pregnancy include:

• missed menstrual period
• depletion
• increase breast size
• abdominal distension
• nausea and vomiting
• dizziness and fainting

TESTS AND TEST

The adolescent may or may not admit they had sex.

There are usually weight changes (usually a gain, but may be a loss if nausea and vomiting are important).The test may show increased abdominal volume. You can feel the top of the uterus and this is increased. On pelvic examination the vaginal walls are discolored or blue or purple, the cervix softened, and there is a softening and enlargement of the uterus.

• The urine pregnancy tests and / or blood are usually positive.
• You can be a study using ultrasound to confirm or verify pregnancy and precise dates.

Treatment

Abortion is a potential option but states vary with respect to the ability of unmarried teen to legally obtain these means to end a pregnancy without parental consent. In the case of married adolescents may require the consent of the husband. Give the baby up for adoption is another option. but the majority of pregnant teens choose to continue their pregnancy and stay with your baby.

Early prenatal care and appropriate to a program focused on teen pregnancy ensures a healthier baby.Smoking, alcohol use, drug abuse should be discouraged strongly, and methods should be offered support to help pregnant teens to take such behavior. The proper alimentacinó ensured through education and the availability of social resources. Proper exercise and adequate sleep should also be adequately informed.Contraceptive information and services are important. Adolescents should be counseled and assisted to stay in school or educational programs that will enable them to financially take care of your child, plus it is healthier emotionally. The care of children in care in an accessible way is an important factor in teen mothers continuing school and / or work.

Forecast

Women who have their first child during adolescence are more likely to have more children overall. And these children are also less likely to receive support from their biological fathers, complete their education, work on some kind of vocation, and establish independence and financial security adequate to provide for themselves. Married teen mothers are more likely to experience divorce (80%) than married women who delay pregnancy until at least 20 years.

Complications

The teenage pregnancy is associated with higher risk of illness and death for both mother and baby.

The pregnant adolescents have a much higher risk for serious medical complications such as toxemia, hypertension, severe anemia, premature delivery, and / or placenta previa. The risk of death for mothers of 15 years or younger is 60% higher than that of mothers aged 20 years.

Babies of teenage mothers are from 2 to 6 times more likely to have low birth weight than those born to mothers 20 years or more. This is almost always because premature babies, but intrauterine growth retardation (inadequate growth of the fetus during pregnancy) is also a factor. Teen mothers are more prone to engage in behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use. or drug abuse, inconsistent and poor feeding, or multiple sexual partners. This can put the baby in a high risk for inadequate growth, infection, or chemical dependency. The risk of death of the baby during the first year of life increases in relation to maternal age, the minor is 20 years.

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR

Call for an appointment if symptoms occur in a teen pregnancy.

Call for advice regarding methods of birth control or other information you want, especially if a teen is facing pressure from a partner or has personal thoughts of engaging in sexual activity, or if a teen is involved and sexual activity with or without contraception.

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