Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy
Is pregnancy in a female under the age of 20 (when the pregnancy ends). A pregnancy can take place at any time after puberty, which technically begins about two weeksbefore menarche (first menstrual period). In healthy, well-nourished girls, menarche normally takes place around the ages 12 or 13. It is the stage at which a female becomes potentially fertile. Whether the onsetof 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 ofsexual 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 per1000 in South Korea.
Pregnant teenagers face many of the same obstetrics issues as women in their 20s and 30s. There are however, additional medical concerns for mothers age 14 or younger. Formothers between 15 and 19, risks are associated more with socioeconomic factors than with the biological effects of age. However research has shown that the risk of low birth weight is connected to thebiological age itself, as it was observed in teen births even after controlling for other risk factors (such as utilisation of antenatal care etc.).
In developed countries, teenage pregnancies areassociated with many social issues, including lower educational levels, higher rates ofpoverty, and other poorer life outcomes in children of teenage mothers. Teenage pregnancy in developed countries isusually outside of marriage, and carries a social stigma in many communities and cultures. Many studies and campaigns have attempted to uncover the causes and limit the numbers of teenage pregnancies.Among OECD developed countries, the United States and United Kingdomhave the highest level of teenage pregnancy, while Japan and South Korea have the lowest
Medical
Maternal and prenatal health is...