Adolescent pregnancy

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Adolescent pregnancy

Definition:

Adolescent pregnancy is pregnancy occurring in women aged 19 or younger.

Alternative Names:
Teenage pregnancy; Pregnancy - teenage
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The incidence of adolescent pregnancy has steadily declined since reaching an all-time high in 1990, mostly due to an increase in the use of condoms. In fact, the birth rate among younggirls aged 10 to 14 has fallen to the lowest level in almost 50 years.

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Since no form of contraception iscompletely effective, abstinence is the only sure way to prevent pregnancy. A sexually active teenager who does not use contraception has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within a year.

Why teenagers have sex, and do so without effective methods of contraception, is a topic of debate. Suggested reasons follow:

Adolescents become sexually mature (and fertile) approximately 4-5 years before they reach emotional maturity.
Adolescents today are growing up in a culture in which peers, TV and motion pictures, music, and magazines often transmit either covert or overt messages that unmarried sexual relationships (specifically those involving teenagers) are common, accepted, and, at times, expected behaviors.
Education about responsible sexual behavior and specific, clear information about the consequences of sexual intercourse (including pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and psychosocial effects) are frequently not offered. Therefore, much of the "sex education" that adolescents receive filters through misinformed or uninformed peers.

When compared with other industrialized nations, the United States has the highest rates of pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth among teenagers, despite similar or higher rates of sexual activity in the other countries.