Teenage pregnancy is pregnancy in a female under the age of
20. A pregnancy can take place as early as two weeks before menarche (the first
menstrual period), which signals the possibility of fertility, but usually
occurs after menarche. In healthy, well-nourished girls, menarche normally
takes place around the ages 12 or 13. Whether the onset of biological fertility
will result in a teenage pregnancy depends on a number of personal and societal
factors. Teenage pregnancy rates vary between countries because of differences
in levels of sexual activity, general sex education provided and access to
affordable contraceptive options. Worldwide, teenage pregnancy rates range from
143 per 1000 in some sub-Saharan African countries to 2.9 per 1000 in South
Korea. For mothers between 15 and 19, risks are associated more
with socioeconomic factors than with the biological effects of age. Research
has shown that the risk of low birth is connected to the biological age itself,
as it was observed in teen births even after controlling for other risk
factors.
Teenage pregnancies are associated with many social issues,
including lower educational levels, higher rates of poverty, and other poorer
life outcomes in children of teenage mothers.
References
Tucker, A. (2012). CHILDREN HAVING CHILDREN: WHY ADOLESCENT MOTHERS NEED LEAVE TOO. Law & Psychology Review, 36243-258.
Is very important for the youth to be educated from a early age about protected sex, not only in the home but also in school. I refer to the education system because that is where kids and youth spend most of their every day lives. Also a lot of parents do not know how to approach their children on such a delicate topic. If we encourage juveniles to stay abstinent from being sexually active & having protected sex we will not be facing so many abortions or teen pregnancies.
ResponderEliminarExcellent blog !
Elenisse J. Carrasquillo Colón