Teenage pregnancies
| Teenage pregnancy | |
|---|---|
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| A US government poster on teen pregnancy. Over 1100 teenagers, mostly aged 18 or 19, give birth every day in the United States. | |
| Classification and external resources | |
| Specialty | Obstetrics |
| ICD-10 | Z33 |
| ICD-9-CM | 650 |
Teenage pregnancy is pregnancy in females under the age of 20. A female can become pregnant from sexual intercourse after she has begun to ovulate, which can be before her first menstrual period (menarche) but usually occurs after the onset of her periods. In well-nourished females, menarche usually takes place around the age of 12 or 13.
Pregnant teenagers face many of the same pregnancy related issues as other women. There are, however, additional concerns for those under 15 of age as they are less likely to be physically developed enough to sustain a healthy pregnancy or to give birth. For girls aged 15–19 risks are associated more with socioeconomic factors than with the biological effects of age. Risks of low birth weight, premature labor, anemia, and pre-eclampsia are connected to the biological age, being observed in teen births even after controlling for other risk factors (such as accessing prenatal care etc.).
In developed countries, teenage pregnancies are associated with social issues, including lower educational levels, poverty, and other negative life outcomes in children of teenage mothers. Teenage pregnancy in developed countries is usually outside of marriage, and carries a social stigma in many communities and cultures. By contrast, teenage parents in developing countries are often married, and their pregnancies welcomed by family and society. 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 promotion of birth control can reduce the risk of unintended teenage pregnancies. In developing countries, 7.3 million females under age 18 give birth per year. If all pregnancies are included, the number of adolescent pregnancies is much higher.
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Wikipedia