Causes And Effects Of Teen Pregnancy

Factors that tend to relate with teenage pregnancy are low income, poor education, social isolation, drug and alcohol use, and lack of early prenatal care.

Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships.

Summary: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy wrote the article called, “Teen Pregnancy Is a Serious Problem,” stating that teen pregnancy is an issue in todays’ world. There are many negative effects of being a teen mom. In the United States, teen pregnancy is seen as being “ok” because it is normal in today’s world. Adolescents don't know how quickly a pregnancy can happen. When they asked the girls why they became pregnant they said, “It just kinda happened.” Also, many teen moms have more than one child before the age 24. A recent study

Some teenagers get pregnant due to not knowing about the consequences of unprotected sex. Most don’t know about any of the consequences because they don’t have anyone to talk to them about it and others just doesn’t want to listen. Parents don’t think their kids will ever think about having sex so they don’t feel the need to talk to them about it but that only leads to teenagers getting pregnant without being prepared with a stable job.

Teen pregnancy is the result of many environmental factors. When I speak about environmental factors I’m referring to the people teens surround themselves with along with their socioeconomic mobility. The most significant environmental factor contributing to teenage pregnancy are related to poverty. Did you know that teenage girls in poverty chose to give birth because they had no realistic hope for moving up in life? Not only does social status effect teens who get pregnant in poverty situations their education is interrupted also. Most teens don’t go back to even get their GED, which results in more complications when trying to get a job etc. Another factor is the people teens surround themselves with. Teens are influenced by what they watch and hear other people do which is normal because even as teens their minds and self-being is still being developed. On top of all that teens are faced with peer pressure everyday whether

Adolescents who have parents that are uninvolved in their lives have a greater chance of becoming pregnant than those with parents who are very concerned with their children’s lives (Singh, et al.). Adolescents who feel they do not get enough attention at home from their parents or siblings will sometimes intentionally get pregnant to draw attention to themselves and to feel important (Miller 16). For example, when kids have parents that are constantly working, they sometimes feel lonely and will try to get pregnant so they can feel less alone (Miller 16). Teens that have divorced or separated parents may think that becoming pregnant will give their parents a reason to be together, so they intentionally get pregnant to try and bring their family closer (Miller 16). Teens that live with both of their parents are a lot less likely to become pregnant (“Trends in Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing”). Another time that adolescents will intentionally get pregnant is when they have a lot of brothers and sisters. These teens may feel that they are unimportant because their parents have to divide their time and money between however many children they have (Miller 16). Getting pregnant makes them think that they will get more attention from their parents, so they think it’s a great idea, when they really have no clue what they are

Teen pregnancy is an important issue for several reasons. For example, there are health risks for the child born to teenage mothers and the child is more likely to suffer health, social, and emotional problems than children born to older mothers. It is also a possibility for teenagers who become pregnant to be at an increased risk for

Every young girl who is sexually active is at risk for teen pregnancy. Children of teen parents are very likely to become teen parents themselves, this shows higher correlation in places of poverty and low income families. Unplanned teen pregnancy is more than just an unexpected expense than to just the parents, it is an expense to society. In America according to the National campaign, each year 9.4 billion dollars in taxpayer money is spent on teenage childbearing assistance. (2016). These costs include many things for both the child and the parents needs as well. The norms, values and beliefs of families also play a large role in the current social issue. Some families who were teen mothers themselves might be more or less educating to their child based on their experience. Also a large factor is that some religions do not believe in birth control or sex before marriage, therefor the parents of the children do not allow them to take contraceptives and then they accidentally get pregnant.

Statistic have shown that children from teen parent experience a greater risk of growing up in poverty, living in a single-parent family, having poor performance in school, and more vulnerable to substance abuse (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Similarly, teen pregnancy can also affect the mother on every aspect of her life, such as psychological, emotional, physical, and financial. The pregnancy can be an overwhelmed process for many and this will lead to feelings of intense emotions, such as excitement, fear, confusion, frustration, and resentment.

Teen parents frequently have lower earnings, besides societal troubles during their life. The study statistics showed that pregnancy rates were maximum among teens who came from families with single-parents since they probably had experienced poverty.

Most teens are still developing physically, and mentally this also means they’re much more likely to have premature babies or preterm labor. Preterm and/or low birth weight babies often have developmental disabilities or medical conditions that require regular physical therapy. In every 10th American teen girl one will get pregnant at least once before turning 20, that’s nearly 750,000 pregnant teens every year. Teen pregnancy is the leading reason that teen girls quite school, 50 percent of teen mothers never graduate from high school. Schools should also start babysitter clubs so they can take classes to get their GED. On an average about 25 percent of teen mothers have a 2nd child within 24 months of their first child. Less than two percent of teen moms earn a degree of any sort by the age 30. The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world. Childbearing during teen negatively affects the parents, their child, and society. In the year of 2013 more than 273,105 babies were born to women ages 15-19 years old, this is an all-time low for U.S. teens in this age group.

Teen pregnancies are pregnancies between 13-19. Over 1,100 teens give birth every day; in the United States. In addition to problems a mother can face during this journey. Teen moms have a higher rate of low birth weight, premature labor, anemia, and pre-eclampsia. These problems are more current because most teens that get pregnant bodies aren’t finished developing. Three in ten American teens will get pregnant before twenty.

Each year approximately 750,000 adolescents (ages 15-19) in the United States will become pregnant and about 400,000 of those adolescents will give birth. Out of all the developed nations in the world, the United States has the highest incidence of teen pregnancy. Although there has been a decline in the number of pregnancies among adolescents, teen pregnancy is still a serious health concern that needs continued intervention. It is widely agreed upon that becoming pregnant at a young age has negative effects on both mother and baby in many different aspects. What are the reasons for the increased rate of teen pregnancies in the United States despite the health risks, and how can we lower it?

Many teenagers will try to hide the pregnancy from their parents and teachers, in doing this they do not get the initial medical attention required during the first months of pregnancy. It is estimated that 33% of teenage pregnancy fail to receive necessary prenatal care. The lack of prenatal care leads to increased risk of anemia, miscarriage, and high blood pressure to the teenager. Many teenagers will hide their pregnancy because of fear of being reprimanded by their parents or teachers. Teenage pregnancy is also linked to immorality, and this can be a social stigma to the teenager. These effects make the teenage try to hide their pregnancy, which results in lack of proper medical attention. The children born to teenagers exhibit a low birth weight, and this is usually accompanied with other health complications at their tender age. These complications make the mortality rate for these children to be high.