Teenage mothers – A high risk group for new unintended
pregnancies
G Falk1, I Östlund1, A Magnusson2, J Schollin3, K
Nilsson1
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Örebro, Sweden,
2Clinical Research Center, Örebro, Sweden, 3Department of Pediatrics, Örebro,
Switzerland
One of the targets for national health programs is to prevent
unintended pregnancies, especially among teenagers. It is well established that
these often leads to abortion. Preventive programs to decrease abortion rates
should identify target groups at risk for unintended pregnancies. The aim of
this study was to evaluate if young mothers under 20 years of age are such a
risk group. A retrospective cohort study was performed at Örebro University
Hospital, Sweden, including teenagers giving birth to their first child during
1996 – 2000. Data were collected from antenatal and medical records. Special
attention was paid to attendance to the postnatal visit and if a contraceptive
method was given. Data was collected at 12 months after delivery for repeat
pregnancies. A total of 250 deliveries were recorded, 70% of the mothers
attended the postnatal visit and 71% received a contraceptive method. At 12
months follow-up 9% had a legal abortion. This makes the abortion rate more than
five times as high as expected in this age group. The teenage pregnancy rate in
Sweden is low compared to other countries. However, this study shows that
teenagers giving birth are a high-risk group for legal abortion in the future.