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Tuesday 12 June 2012

Teen Pregnancy


Teen Pregnancy

By , About.com Guide
Worried Mom and Pregnancy Test
Teen pregnancy is a problem on many levels.
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Despite the fact that the teen birth rate is climbing after slowly falling for years, there are still an estimated one million teen pregnancies in the United States alone. About 85% of these pregnancies are unplanned, which in any population can increase the risk for problems. The biggest risk for teen mothers is delaying prenatal care or worse, 7.2% received no care at all.
The reason for lack of prenatal care is usually delayed pregnancy testing, denial or even fear of telling others about the pregnancy. Most states have a health department or university clinic where prenatal care is free or low cost and patient confidentiality is very important, meaning no one can tell the teen mother's family.
Because the body of a teen is still growing she will need more nutritional support to meet both her needs and that of her baby. Nutritional counseling can be a large portion of prenatal care, usually done by a doctor or a midwife, sometimes a nutritionist. This counseling will usually include information about prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and the dos and don'ts of eating and drinking. Lack of proper nutrition can lead to problems like anemia (low iron), low weight gain, etc.
Another problem facing teen mothers is the use of drugs and alcohol, including cigarette smoking. No amount of any of these substances is safe for use in pregnancy. In fact, their use can complicate pregnancy even further increasing the likelihood of premature birth and other complications.
Premature birth and low birth weight create a wealth of their own problems, including brain damage, physical disabilities and more. The potentially lengthy hospital stay and increased risk of health problems for these babies leads to more stress on the teen mother.
While facing the grim realities of teen pregnancy is not pleasant, this is not the picture that has to be painted. Teen mothers are perfectly capable of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. With the proper nutrition, early prenatal care and good screening for potential problems the majority of these potential problems will not come to light. While some tend to think that you can't teach a teen mother anything about her body or baby, it's really a ridiculous notion. Many of the teen mothers who take active roles in their care do go on to have healthy babies, despite the other hardships that they will face in their lives. Support from the families and communities is a must for the young, new family to be successful.
Source:
Teenage Pregnancy. March of Dimes. November 2009.

Readers Respond:Telling Your Parents About Your Teen Pregnancy

Teen Pregnancy


INFORMATION ABOUT TEENAGE PREGNANCY


According to the Women's Health Channel, teenage mothers and the babies they give birth to are at risk for developing health problems and social and emotional problems. This is because teenagers are simply not equipped with the experience to handle both the physical and psychological demands of having a child. Therefore, it is important for both teens and their parents to be aware of information about teenage pregnancy and the responsibilities that come with it.

Identification

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports that the national teenage birth rate rose 3 percent between 2005 and 2006. The center states that this increase is likely because teens failed to use contraception correctly (as the rate at which teenagers are having sex remained about the same as before).

Features

The Women's Health Channel reports that babies who are born to teenage girls usually have low birth weights. Expectant teenage mothers are less likely to refrain from alcohol, drugs and smoking than older expectant mothers. Girls under the age of 18 are also less likely to seek out prenatal care than their older pregnant counterparts. Because of this, the American Medical Association (AMA) reports that babies are four times more likely to die before reaching 1 year of age than babies who are born to women who receive prenatal care.

Significance

The Women's Health Channel reports that 80 percent of pregnant teens will get on welfare at some time in their lives and that as many as two-thirds of them will not graduate high school.

Cause

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that most teenagers do not have proper contraception knowledge, including knowing how to obtain, select and properly use contraceptives.

Prevention/Solution

The most effective way to prevent teenage pregnancy is to educate both male and female teenagers about available contraception options. There are many inexpensive and effective birth control methods couples can choose from. Condoms are the easiest and possibly the cheapest form of protection. The birth control pill is also an effective protection device, though most states do require parental permission for pharmacies to provide minors with birth control packs. Other contraceptives, including an intrauterine device (IUD), birth control patch or injection, can also help prevent pregnancy. A family doctor, however, must be consulted regarding these forms of birth control. Abstinence is the only 100 percent effective way to prevent teenage pregnancy.

References



Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/76750-information-teenage-pregnancy/#ixzz1xeUaWlhe




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