As of 2010, the pregnancy and birth rates among adolescents are significantly high in the United States as compared to other developed countries, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unfortunately, the complications in teenage pregnancies are common and may lead to premature birth or even death of the fetus.
Reasons for Complications
Teenage pregnancy complications have many reasons. First, teen mothers seldom receive adequate prenatal care. According the March of Dimes, approximately 7 percent of teenage mothers receive inadequate prenatal care, compared to 4 percent for all ages. Teenage mothers also tend to have poor eating habits; they eat fast food, do not take prenatal vitamins and often try to lose weight during pregnancy. Substance abuse is also more common among teen mothers, and this leads to problems in fetal development. The pelvis of a young girl may be underdeveloped and cause difficulties during childbirth, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Anemia
WHO defines the minimum hemoglobin concentration in normal pregnant women as 11.0 g/dl. If the level is less than this the person is said to be anemic regardless of age. The prevalence of anemia is significantly higher among pregnant adolescents than older pregnant women. Anemia in pregnancy is not caused by the young age of the mother per se, but the frequently reported poor eating habits of teen mothers, which lead to iron and folic acid deficiencies and thus cause the heightened risk for anemia among teenage mothers. Anemia increases the risk for maternal mortality, says the WHO.
Premature Birth
Teen mothers have an increased risk of giving birth before week 37 of pregnancy. Preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal death and infant morbidity. The WHO reports that even teenage mothers receiving proper prenatal care and adequate nutrition have a significantly higher risk of delivering a preterm infant than older mothers. The risk for premature birth is considerably higher among African American teenage mothers as compared to Caucasian mothers, says the WHO.
Low Birth Weight
Low birth weight (LBW) is defined as birth weight that is less than 5.5 pounds, says the WHO. According to the March of Dimes, smoking during pregnancy is much more common among teenage mothers than among women over age 25. Nicotine reduces the amount of oxygen that the fetus gets and, thus, puts the baby at serious risk for a low birth weight. The risk is even worse since teenage mothers tend to have poor eating habits during the pregnancy. As a result, nearly 10 percent of teen mothers have a low birth weight baby, says the Western Michigan University. Low birth weight babies are much more likely to suffer from various conditions including behavioral and psychiatric problems.
Complications during Labor
The WHO states that in adolescents who are younger than 16 years old, the pelvic bones of the birth canal may still be growing, and are immature. This might cause obstructed labor in young girls.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Preventing Teen Pregnancy
- March of Dimes: Teenage Pregnancy
- World Health Organization: Adolescent Pregnancy: Issues in Adolescent Health and Development
- Western Michigan University: Teen Pregnancy and Parenting
- Science Daily: Very Low Birthweight Children Have Long-Term Behavioral And Psychiatric Consequences
