Teenage Pregnancy: Issues and Risks
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Any pregnancy occurring in a female under the age of 20 years is termed teenage pregnancy. Girls as young as 13 years begin to experience ovulation. Whereas some are fully aware of the changes taking place in their bodies, some are out rightly blank concerning the same. Those naive and uninformed about such are the most disadvantaged. This is because when they go ahead and indulge in unprotected sex, they are capable of becoming pregnant. It is therefore the duty of parents, guardians and teachers collectively to ensure that they are informed when they come of age to prevent such teenage pregnancy cases, having in mind knowledge is power.
Cherry, A. L., & Dillon, M. E. (2013). Teenage pregnancy. New York: Oxford University Press.
We were all born innocent and as we grow up we encounter a lot in our surrounding environment. These encounters in one way or another promote teenage pregnancy. Such factors include careless behavior of parents whereby they are okay with making love in front of their children giving them the perception that it is an alright thing to do. These parents however, forget that what children see or learn in their formative/younger years, stick with them and persist through adulthood. These are the same children who are tempted to experiment what they see in their very own homes with friends and even classmates. Worse still, these parents never take the time to actually sit their children down and have the sex talk with them. These talks are usually delegated to teachers who happen to spend most of the time with them. On the other hand, teachers also happen to have a lot to cover in terms of syllabus within the limited time allocated; hence, these children never get to learn about sex education.
Firth, L. (2010). Teenage pregnancy. London: Cambridge.
Teenage pregnancies have a lot of negatives associated with them apart from the social beliefs and a question of morality among the teenagers. These range from medical complications to socioeconomic factors. Medical complications are mainly the risks that the teenager is exposed to in the period of pregnancy. Risks include: anemia due to insufficient hemoglobin levels in the teenager's blood, low birth weight due to inadequate food intake during pregnancy, premature labor- at 13-19 years, the vagina muscles are not strong enough to allow for expansion and sustainable fluid for smooth delivery. Most of these teenagers end up delivering through Caesarian section which is both expensive and risky as it involves major loss of blood which puts the lives of the mother and the baby at risk.
Holgate, H. S., Evans, R., & Yuen, F. K. (2006). Teenage pregnancy and parenthood: global perspectives, issues and interventions. London: Routledge.
Generally teenagers especially below the age of 18 are considered minors incapable of making their own decisions. They are not viewed as a legal person in the eyes of the law. Now imagine such being expected to be parents and good ones at that. It is almost impossible because their mindset and behaviors are those of children and it is clear that they are not in a position to be raising their own in the expected manner. In most cases, the burden of raising and even fending for their children falls to their parents.
Leishman, J. L., & Moir, J. (2007). Pre-teen and teenage pregnancy: a twenty first century reality. Keswick: M & K Publishers.
The normal teenager does not have a well-established socioeconomic background. In most cases, these are high school students who ought to be in class concentrating on their studies. As a fact, they dont seem to have a definite plan for their future let alone their children's. In cases of pregnancy, their studies are interfered with and even their social life. The first thing that soon follows is truancy so that the expectant teenager can nurse her pregnancy in ways she is not conversant with and with funds that are not even available. Secondly, their social life is messed up and affected in so many ways, some that may not be so obvious. They lose friends as they are viewed as bad company. The guilt they feel also hinders them from relating with family and friends openly. It is such that leads them to opt for abortion, not because it is necessary or the right thing to do, but because they want to fit in and feel normal again.
Piehl, N. (2009). Teenage pregnancy. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven.
Teenage pregnancy is also associated with other extra risks such as contracting sexual related illnesses. These include STIs and HIV/AIDS. These are killer diseases that are very expensive to treat and manage. In worst case scenarios, especially in the cases of HIV/AIDS some teenagers may opt for suicide and this only contributes too much loss.
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