According to the National Campaign for Preventing Teen Pregnancy and the Guttmacher Institute, nearly 750,000 girls ages 15 to 19 become pregnant annually. Although this statistic is reportedly lower in recent years, it still indicates a high number of teenage pregnancies. Teen pregnancy carries many physical, social, emotional and psychological risks for teens as well as unborn babies.
Medical Risks
According to the National Institutes of Health, teens are at a higher risk for developing medical complications during pregnancy than pregnant females older than 20. Infants born to teens are also at a higher medical risk for low birth weight, prematurity and inadequate fetal growth. The Mayo Clinic indicates that pregnant teens are at higher risk due to a lack of knowledge about the kind of prenatal care required for healthy pregnancy. Teens are also more likely to be unaware of the health risks associated with substance use or unprotected sex. Pre-eclampsia, a condition in which the pregnant mother experiences dangerously high blood pressure, and high protein in the urine related to poor diet are common complications in first pregnancies. Pre-eclampsia may result in early delivery of the baby due to the risk of harm or potential death to the mother or baby.
Emotional and Psychological Risks
Adolescence is naturally a time of emotional turmoil in the development process. In addition to the normal trials of development, a teenage pregnancy may add emotional stress. The Mayo Clinic recognizes that pregnancy may often result in the teen feeling alienated from peers due to decreased likelihood of graduating with her high school class, increased potential for poverty due to lack of stable employment, and depression. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry further indicates that pregnant teens often have conflicting emotional reactions related to not wanting the baby, having unrealistic expectations about motherhood, or being overwhelmed by anxiety and fear of a future with a baby. The emotional turmoil may negatively impact the pregnancy causing undue stress. It could also potentially lead the teen mother to neglect her child.
Social Risks
Pregnant teens may be challenged with choices about the future and often there is a social cost to these choices. Teen moms often drop out of high school to raise their child; without a proper education, however, financial stability is unlikely. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy indicates that society pays the cost for teen pregnancy, especially in regard to the required public health care for pre- and post-natal medical follow up. If the teen is not fortunate enough to have a solid support system, the stress of financial instability and lack of peer support may lead to additional barriers in teen parenting success.
