Teenage Pregnancies: A few years wait until young adulthood is worthy of advocacy
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Date
2019-10
Authors
ADEGBOLA, O
Sanusi, M.M
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer India Private Limited
Abstract
Background: Teenage pregnancies are health problems of global importance attributed to
restrictions of sexually active teenagers access to contraception. It is therefore important
to study the impact of pregnancy on teenagers for better care and avert adverse pregnancy
outcome. Objectives: The main objective of the study is to compare the pregnancy outcome
(early pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, birth weight, live and stillbirths, and other perinatal
outcomes) among teenagers (aged 15–19 years) and young adult women (aged 20–24 years).
Materials and Methods: This was a comparative study of 74 teenage pregnancies and
690 young adult pregnancies managed at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital over a period
of 5 years from May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2013. Results: The teenagers had more miscarriages
and more preterm deliveries than young adults (P < 0.0001). Teenagers had more emergency
cesarean deliveries and less spontaneous vaginal deliveries (P < 0.0001). Although teenagers had
more low birth weight babies compared with young adults (33.3% vs. 22.8%), this was, however,
not statistically significant (P = 0.0652). The perinatal mortality rate was 218/1000 total births
among teenagers as compared to 90/1000 in young adult women, and this was statistically
significant (P = 0.0049). Conclusion: Preventing teenage pregnancies or delaying pregnancy
until adulthood results in a better fetomaternal outcome.
Description
Keywords
Nigeria, pregnancy outcome, teenagers versus young adults