Risk factors and complications in adolescent pregnancies
G.
Köse, E.Z. Tuzcular Vural, I. Gönenç, N. Hadroviç, N. Aka
Haydarpaca Numune
Education and Research Hospital, Family Planning Unit, Istanbul, Turkey
Objectives In this study we aimed to investigate the risk factors and
complications encountered in adolescent pregnancies and compare them with the
results of adult pregnancies.
Design and methods A retrospective study was
designed, and the risk factors and complications of 155 adolescent women aged
below 19 years were compared with randomly chosen 152 adult women both who gave
birth in a Gyn / Ob Department setting, between 1.1.1998 and 31.12.2002.
Results
In the adolescent group 73% had vaginal deliveries, 24 % had Caesarian
deliveries while 5.3 % needed assisted (instrumental) deliveries. The need for
assisted deliveries was statistically significantly higher than the adult group
(p<0.05). The rate of fetal anomalies was 2.6 % in the adolescent group while the adult group showed none. The most frequently observed complication was prematurity, with a rate of 21.3% followed by IUGR with a rate of 12.3% in the adolescent group.
Conclusion Teen births are still a big problem worldwide.
High teenage birth rates are an important concern because teen mothers and their
babies face increased risks to their health, and their opportunities to build a
future are diminished. A teenage mother is at greater risk than women over age
20 for pregnancy complications such as premature labor, anemia and high blood
pressure. Teenage mothers are less likely to gain adequate weight during their
pregnancy, leading to low birth weight which is associated with infant and
childhood disorders and a high rate of infant mortality.