Teenage pregnancy refers to
pregnancy in a female under the age of 20. A pregnancy can take place at any time before or after
puberty, with
menarche normally taking place around the ages 12 or 13, and being the stage at which a female becomes potentially
fertile. Teenage pregnancy depends on a number of societal and personal 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.
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.
For mothers 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 the biological age itself, as it was observed in teen births even after controlling for other risk factors.
In
developed countries, 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. Teenage pregnancy in developed countries is usually 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 Kingdom have the highest level of teenage pregnancy, while
Japan and
South Korea have the lowest.
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