A comparative study of teenage pregnancy

A comparative study of teenage pregnancy

Summary Teenage pregnancy is a global problem and is considered a high-risk group, in spite of conflicting evidence. Our objective was to compare obstetric outcomes of pregnancy in teenagers and older women. This was a retrospective study of case records of pregnancies from August 2000 to July 2001....

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Published in:Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 604 - 607
Main Authors: Mahavarkar, S. H., Madhu, C. K., Mule, V. D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Informa UK Ltd 01-08-2008
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
anaemia
Anemia
Anemia - epidemiology
Birth Weight
Childbirth & labor
Comparative studies
Female
Humans
India
low birth weight babies
Obstetric Labor, Premature - epidemiology
Obstetrics
preclampsia
Pregnancy
Pregnancy in Adolescence
Pregnancy Outcome
preterm labour
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Rural Population - statistics & numerical data
Teenage pregnancy
teenage pregnancy in India
Young Adult
India
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Summary:Summary Teenage pregnancy is a global problem and is considered a high-risk group, in spite of conflicting evidence. Our objective was to compare obstetric outcomes of pregnancy in teenagers and older women. This was a retrospective study of case records of pregnancies from August 2000 to July 2001. Girls aged ≤19 years were compared with pregnancy outcomes in older women (19-35 years) in the same hospital. The study took place in the Government General Hospital, Sangli, India, a teaching hospital in rural India, with an annual delivery rate of over 3,500. A total of 386 teenage pregnancies were compared with pregnancies in 3,326 older women. Socioeconomic data, age, number of pregnancies, antenatal care and complications, mode of delivery, and neonatal outcomes were considered. The incidence of teenage pregnancy in the study was 10%. A significant proportion of teenage pregnant mothers were in their first pregnancies. The teenage mothers were nearly three times more at risk of developing anaemia (OR = 2.83, 95% CI = 2.2-3.7, p < 0.0001) and delivering pre-term (OR = 2.97, 95% CI = 2.4-3.7, p < 0.0001). Teenage mothers were twice as likely to develop hypertensive problems in pregnancy (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.5-3.2, p < 0.0001) and were more likely to deliver vaginally with no significant increase in the risk of assisted vaginal delivery or caesarean section. Young mothers were nearly twice at risk of delivering low birth weight babies (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.5-2.2, p < 0.0001) and 50% less likely to have normal birth weight babies (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 1.2-2.9, p < 0.0001). The outcome of this study showed that teenage pregnancies are still a common occurrence in rural India in spite of various legislations and government programmes and teenage pregnancy is a risk factor for poor obstetric outcome in rural India. Cultural practices, poor socioeconomic conditions, low literacy rate and lack of awareness of the risks are some of the main contributory factors. Early booking, good care during pregnancy and delivery and proper utilisation of contraceptive services can prevent the incidence and complications in this high-risk group.
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ISSN:0144-3615
1364-6893
DOI:10.1080/01443610802281831