Teenage Pregnancy & Baby’s Health

Teen pregnancy is one major concern amongst parents and society on a whole. Teen pregnancy not only has an adverse effect on the health of the teenage mother and the baby, but also has strong negative emotional and psychological impacts. The babies born to teenage mothers too are not very healthy and are more prone to health issues, social and emotional problems.

Pregnant teenagers have a more complicated pregnancy and the delivery too can have many complications like premature labour, stillbirths, etc. Even after delivery, a teenage mother has to suffer many complications, which can be social, emotional or economical in nature.

Teenage pregnancy is on a rise due to exposure to information on various media’s medium like internet, television, etc; increase in society’s tolerance towards sex, live-in relationships, rise in pre-marital sex, etc. However, this information is not fully correct and that is the reason why STDs, HIV, and teenage pregnancy cases are on a rise.

Ill-effects of Teenage Pregnancy on the baby’s health:

• Teenage mothers may not gain adequate weight during pregnancy, which can result in low birth weight. This can result in several infant health problems, disorders, etc. It increases the rate of infant mortality.
• Teenage mothers receive less prenatal care that is essential for the health of the baby and for a healthy pregnancy. Due to lack of proper prenatal care, a baby has high chances of dyeing after one year from birth.
• The lifestyle of a teenage mother is not healthy, which can have adverse effect on the health of the baby. A teenage mother is more prone to consume alcohol, smoke and use drugs in her pregnancy, which can cause problems for the baby.
• A teenage mother is less likely to have a highly nutritious and balanced diet. Teenagers are more into junk food, and there are fewer chances that a teenaged mother will consume the recommended daily dose of folic acid, multivitamins, and calcium along with healthy diet and exercise. Thus, the child will receive less nutrition required for its proper growth.
• In addition, a teenage mother might undergo a lot of anxiety, stress and depression due to the social stigma attached with teenage pregnancy. All this can affect the health of the child. The child after birth is also more prone towards neglect, hatred or ignorance.

How to Reduce Teenage Pregnancy

To reduce teenage pregnancy cases, it is important to spread correct and accurate information by imparting sex education in schools and colleges. Discourage live-ins, pre-marital sex and unsafe sex amongst your teenage children by discussing and imparting strong moral values in their growing up years.

Following are few methods to prevent and avoid getting pregnant in teenage:

• Various Birth Control Methods for Teenagers: if you are a sexually active teen, then there are various birth control methods, which can be used to avoid or prevent pregnancy.
• Condoms, Diaphragms and Contraceptive Jelly: these not only reduce the risk of pregnancy until 95% but also reduce the risk of acquiring STDs.
• Norplant: An implant consists of six matchstick sized rods made from rubber. This is inserted under the skin by a professional health care provider or by a physician. This may have few side effects like alteration in menstrual cycle, tender breast, weight gain and bloating.
• Depo- Provera: this type of contraceptive is injected into the arm or buttocks area of the woman once in every three months. This needs to be done by a physician or professional health care provider. This stops ovulation, modifies the cervical mucus to stop the accessibility of sperm to the egg and prevents the implantation of a fertilised egg in the uterus. This method also regulates menstrual cycle, reducing the flow and cramps but also have side effects like anaemia, tender breast and weight gain.
• Emergency Contraceptives: these are morning after pills used in emergencies if one indulges in unprotected intercourse. However, at this stage, one should not indulge in unsafe sex, but these can be used in emergency cases within 72 hours of the unsafe intercourse.
• Pregnancy Tests: if you have indulged in an unprotected intercourse lately and your periods have delayed, there are chances that you might be pregnant. Either you can go for a blood test in a doctor’s clinic or pathology labs, or you can use home pregnancy kits. Both these tests are based on the level of hCG present in the urine or blood of the woman. HCG is a hormone that is only released when the egg is fertilised.

After confirming your pregnancy status, a teenager can discuss with her parents and partner and can ponder over and take the critical decision of either continuing with the pregnancy or getting it terminated or aborted.

Following are few most common symptoms and sign of teenage pregnancy, which can help you asses whether you are pregnant or not, accompanied with a home pregnancy test:

• Missed or short periods
• Tenderness and soreness of breasts and also increase in breast size
• Thick and non-smelling vaginal discharge
• Bloating and weight gain
• Mood swings, foul temperament and irritation
• Nausea, headaches and morning sickness
• Swelling of feet
• Odd sensitivity to smells and tastes