...Adolescent pregnancy is considered as a pregnancy in a female who is less than 20 years of age at the end of the pregnancy. It can occur in a fertile female either at puberty before the occurrence of her first menstrual period, or after the first period. The first menstrual period in nourished girls occurs at around 12 or 13 years of age. Pregnant teenagers experience many issues similar to other women. However, there would be other medical issues for mothers under 15 years. Teenage mothers of ages 15 to19 face socioeconomic issues rather than biological issues. Underage pregnancies are associated with high biological risks such as anemia, premature labor, and low birth weight among others (Creatsas & Elsheikh, 2002). In countries that are developed, underage pregnancies are associated with social issues such as poverty, low education levels, and poor upbringing of children. Teenage pregnancies in these countries are normally outside marriage, and it bears a social stigma in the society. Some of the same reasons may apply in developing countries. However, in these countries there may also be other reasons such as early marriages. In poor areas of developing countries, early pregnancies may be followed by high risks due to factors such as malnutrition and poor health services. Teenage pregnancies exist in all societies. However, the levels of these pregnancies differ with countries. For example, the rate of teenage pregnancies in Netherlands is 12 pregnancies out of 1000...
Words: 2330 - Pages: 10
...The Effects of Teenage Pregnancy Daniel E. Asante English Composition Strayer University North Charlotte Campus The Effect of Teenage Pregnancy Teenage pregnancy is a social problem that has existed for over a century and has always been a great concern to every nation due to the numerous adverse consequences it brings on both the economy and society at large. In the middle of the 70s, teenage pregnancy had reached an astronomical height that it was described as “epidemic” by the Alan Guttmacher Institute in a booklet entitled “11 Million Teenagers” which was widely circulated at the time (Gallagher, M., 1999). This, in fact, put pressure on Congress at the time to pass a bill that would increase family planning fund by hundred percent as a strategy to curtail teenage pregnancy “epidemic” (Gallagher, M., 1999). The rate of Teenage Pregnancy rose from 23.9 births per 1000 single female teenagers in 1975 to 31.4 in 1985, and to 46.4 in 1994. In the last part of the 90s, the rate had dropped by16 percent. For teenagers between 15 and 19 years, the rate of teen pregnancy had dropped by 36 per cent by 2002 and 33 per cent by 2004 (Gallagher, M., 1999). Until recent times, Teenage pregnancy was considered an abomination and a mockery to a family. It carried a stigma and a disgrace to the young mothers and their immediate families. The young mothers were often considered sinners and the children born out of wedlock were referred to as bastards or illegitimate. The horror...
Words: 1063 - Pages: 5
...reproductive health research, policy analysis, and public education, teenage pregnancy has adverse consequences for the parents, the child, and society. Pregnant teens are less likely to complete high school and attend college than teenagers who avoid pregnancy. Many teenage parents live below the poverty level and rely on welfare. The children of teenage parents receive inadequate medical care, have more problems in school, and spend more time in prison than children of adult parents. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (NCPTP) claims that teenage childbearing costs society about $6.9 billion annually; this estimate includes welfare and food stamp benefits, medical care expenses, lost tax revenue (teenage childbearing affects the parents’ work patterns), incarceration expenses, and foster care. In an effort to reduce teenage pregnancy and the problems associated with it, policymakers have recently focused on what causes the widespread poverty and welfare dependence that teen moms experience and have attempted to devise solutions to these problems. Some social critics argue that because pregnancy limits a teenager’s opportunities for education and well-paying jobs, many are forced to accept welfare to support themselves and their children. Only 64 percent of teen moms graduate from high school or earn a general education diploma within two years after they would have graduated compared with 94 percent of teenage girls who do not give birth. This lack of education increases...
Words: 2551 - Pages: 11
...essay looked at how the environment influences teenage pregnancy in the United States. The purpose of this essay is to identify how preeminent teenage pregnancy has become in teens ages fourteen and up, how famous it has become in the United States and how the majority of teens do not finish their education after becoming pregnant. The sources used in this essay provide the necessary information needed for readers to understand why and how a teenagers environment has become influential for them becoming pregnant. Teenage pregnancy is affecting teens by causing them to drop out of school and not finish their education which later results in a limited amount of choices when choosing a career. Outline Thesis: The social life of teenagers influences teenage pregnancy through pressure from peers, too much access to the media and lack of sex education from parents and teachers in the United States. I. Peer pressure in the United States is the major factor influencing teenage pregnancy in the U.S. A. During adolescence, teenagers often feel pressure to make friends and fit in with their peers. B. Many times these teens let their friends influence their decision to have sex. C. The Kaiser Family Foundation states that more than 29 percent of pregnant teens reported that they felt pressured to have sex. II. Excessive access to the media plays an important role in teenage pregnancy A. In the U.S today, the majority of teens...
Words: 2589 - Pages: 11
...How many of you have known a teenage mother at some point in your lives? Well you do even if you don’t realize it as I myself was a teenage mother. According to smith.edu over 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year in the United States with more than 530,000 of those giving birth. That means that 13% of the babies born each year are born to teenagers, most of whom are unmarried and do not have the financial ability to support a child. Today you all will learn about teenage pregnancy, including how many teenagers get pregnant and why, what challenges the mother and baby will face along the way, and what can be done to lower the incidence of teenage pregnancy. More woman than you realize will experience a pregnancy while in their teens. 40% of white woman and 64% of black woman to be exact. 80% of these teenagers are not married and even if they are married the chance of divorce is about 8 in 10. Every 56 seconds another teenager gives birth in the United States making this the country ranking number one for incidences of teenage births. 70% of these girls do not receive proper prenatal care putting herself and her unborn child at risk and 2/3 of teen moms drop out of high school. With no education she is forced to endure minimum wage jobs to support her child most likely ending up on welfare. With these startling statistics why do so many teenage girls get pregnant? Are they doing it intentionally? While 85% of teenage pregnancies are not intended that leaves the other...
Words: 1547 - Pages: 7
...TEENAGE PREGNANCY Introduction One should start by saying that teenage pregnancy is a complex and controversial social issue in the USA of teenage females getting pregnant. In the underdeveloped countries the practice of having teenage pregnancies is not unique but rather is usual since most women are expected to be married and have children before they turn 20. The problem for the society with teenage pregnancies is that teenagers are believed not to be ready emotionally and financially to raise their children even though they are indeed physiologically capable of producing offspring. Teenage girls when getting pregnant typically are involved in some form of school education and do depend on their parents and relatives at least to a certain degree. In most cases the father of the baby in teenage pregnancy is of similar age and thus is also financially and emotionally unprepared to raise a baby. Dependence on his parents is also the fact. Body Teenage pregnancy rates have gone up over the years. This is due to our exposure to sexual content on television and our lack of sexual orientation we give our kids or our parents give us. Teenage pregnancy has been labeled as a major social and health problem and has become a key policy area in several industrialized countries. In England, current policy aims to have teenage pregnancy rates for under-18s by 2010, and to reduce teenage parents’ risk of...
Words: 1896 - Pages: 8
...Teenage Pregnancy A Significant New Zealand Health Issue In the following assignment I will discuss the significance of teenage pregnancy, as a health issue, in New Zealand. This discussion will include the significance of the issue itself, and its impact on both infants and teenage mothers. I will consider this topic looking at populations in New Zealand and include international comparisons. In the last century there has been significant changes in family size, reproductive patterns and population dynamics. As shown by the New Zealand Health Information Statistics, when looking at births, it is apparent that New Zealand women now have fewer children, later in their lives, and many forgo parenting altogether (Statistics NZ , 2003). New Zealand is said to rate high in International comparisons for teenage pregnancy. However, most recently reports have indicated a drop in our teenage birth rates. Statistics New Zealand (2002) reported the birth rate for teenagers (aged under 20 years) dropped by 6.5 percent, from 27.7 per 1,000 in 2001 to a new low of 25.9 per 1,000 in 2002. The following table summarises these significant changes in birth patterns by age of mother over the past ten years. Distribution of Live Births by Age of Mother 1992 and 2002 Table 1. Statistics New Zealand Another recent report from the National Youth Health Survey...
Words: 2589 - Pages: 11
...Teenage Pregnancy Unit Teenage pregnancy: an overview of the research evidence Introduction In 1999 the government’s ten-year national Teenage Pregnancy Strategy was launched. The main aims of the strategy are to: • Reduce the rate of teenage conceptions with the specific aim of halving the rate of conceptions among under-18s, and to set a firmly established downward trend in the rate of conceptions among under-16s, by 2010 • Increase the participation of teenage parents in education, training and employment to 60% by 2010, to reduce their risk of long-term social exclusion. This briefing presents headline findings from key research relating to teenage pregnancy and parenthood which has emerged (mainly) since the launch of the strategy. The topics covered include research on young people’s sexual behaviour; sources of sex and relationships information; what works in preventing teenage pregnancy; who is at risk of becoming a teenage parent; how to support teenage parents, and many more. It draws on a range of sources including systematic reviews of the effectiveness of prevention and support interventions, national surveys and primary research studies. The emphasis is on the UK and specifically English research. It was compiled by Catherine Dennison, Research Manager supporting the Teenage Pregnancy Unit. Although not representing a systematic or exhaustive search of the published literature, the briefing is intended to be of use to those engaged in implementing the Teenage...
Words: 7408 - Pages: 30
...Teenage Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is something that affects over one million young teens in the United States. For some, these pregnancies are planned but 85% of these teens the pregnancy is unplanned. This can cause a lot of endless problems in the life of the teen and the newborn child. There are a lot of things that can cause an unplanned teen pregnancy, such as teens experimenting with sexual encounters at a young age. Another major cause is the lack of guidance due to guardians that are blind or do not want to believe in such activities. These causes can have devastating effects on the teen and the newborn in the household. Some effects of early pregnancy will include an unexpected rise of responsibility for the teen and can cause many health concerns for both teen and newborn child. Teens experimenting are the leading cause in the unplanned pregnancies. As a teenager in high school ages there are a lot of peer pressures. Such as experimenting with alcohol and unprotected sexual intercourse. Drinking and the use of narcotics also largely have an impact on the judgment of the teen before the pre-pregnancy comes about. Experimenting can cause many effects on the teen and the relationships at hand, including the relationships with the baby’s mom or dad and also the parents of the teens. Another way of experimenting is the pregnancy caused in the sequel of either a long-time dating of the boyfriend or the other case of those random one night stands or hook-ups. Experimenting...
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...being called – teenage mother/father? One might ponder that this exposition will exclude men. No. they bring ladies in this scene. The exposition attempts to conduct the teenagers to be reminded of what it is like to live in a more aware, conscious, and fulfilling way. It also serves as one of the guide to more harmonious relationships between young couples and families. Gilapay (2007) states, teens want to act like adults, but the child in them remains. Teen years are a prime time for identity crisis and identity formation. It is also, when pregnancies come into play. According to the World Health Organization, around 21 percent of Filipino Women become pregnant before they turn 19. Cerecero (2009) says, teen pregnancy is an issue that has affected not only our school, but schools across the nation. Although the teen birth rate is slowly falling there still remains an estimated one million teen pregnancies nationwide. Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to have health problems, suffer from social problems, and do poorly in school. The Problem The main purpose of this study is to explicate teenage pregnancy among women (and men impregnating women) and its effects to the life of teenagers, as a means toward a better understanding of their situation thus giving aid to their acceptance to the society. Specifically, this exposition seeks to answer these questions: 1. What is teenage pregnancy? 2. What are the reasons of teenage pregnancy? 3. What are...
Words: 770 - Pages: 4
...Teenage Pregnancy Name: Institution: Teenage Pregnancy Introduction One of the questions that arise at the mention of the teenage pregnancy is why different countries record different rates of teenage pregnancy, with others having high States of America is one of the countries that have recorded high rates of teenage pregnancy with its prevalence in the country rating higher than any of the Western industrialized nations. For instance, A National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy conducted in 2006 revealed that in the United States of America, 4 out of every pregnancy occur in women of younger age. They go ahead to explain that annually, the United States among other countries with high rates of teen pregnancy record approximately one million teenage pregnancy. The purpose of this essay is to provide a claim of evaluation that critically examines the statistics of teenage pregnancy and the relationship between depression and poverty on teenage pregnancy. Given the establishment of how bad the prognosis for teenage pregnancy is, this claim of policy intends to establish the link between this public health issue and depression and poverty. Relationship between Teenage Pregnancy and Poverty One of the steps towards with any issue that appears to be a predicament is to establish the root cause of that particular problem. In this case, therefore, the main purpose of this claim of evaluation is to find out the relationship or link between...
Words: 3274 - Pages: 14
... Mrs. Boyce English 12 Teen pregnancy is a widely debated topic in todays society. Approximately 900,000 teenagers become pregnant in the united states each year before the age of twenty years old (Frick 21). The pregnancy rate for the united states alone for girls aged fifteen through nineteen stands at a eighty four pregnancies per 1000 girls (19). Countries like the United states, Romania, Belarus, and Bulgaria have the highest rates of pregnancy above seventy pregnancies per 1000 young women (19). Teen prenancy is one of the most controversial social topics of our time. Teen pregnancy has continuosly became a problem through the years. In 1950, the right thing to do if pregnancy occurred, was to get married. In 1955, only six percent of caucasian teenage girls were pregnant outside of marriage; today it stands at forty two percent ("The Elkhart Project").The teen birth rate was fifty percent higher in 1957 than it is now ("The Elkhart Project"). In 1992, the federal goverment spent more than thirty four billion dollars on welfare for families begun by teens ("The Elkhart Project"). Overly accepting attitudes from parents pose a problem in today's outlooks on pregnancy from teenagers. According to several studies, younger siblings of teen parents are two to six times more likely to become pregnant ( Frick 77 ). People say teen pregnancy is happening because eighty three percent of the television programs include sexual...
Words: 1269 - Pages: 6
...Introduction When a teenage girl gets pregnant, this phenomenon is called teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is treated differently in many cultures. A great number of countries, mostly in Asia treat it like a regular thing due to their traditions and peculiarities of the culture. But the Western civilization treats teenage pregnancy like a negative phenomenon, because young people are supposed to study and have normal years of life, without burden and big problems. Unfortunately, teenage pregnancy is quite a frequent thing. Every day we can hear about the cases when a 15-year-old girl has got pregnant and parents do not know what to do. Teenagers are too young to be allowed to get married, and a child commonly lives in single parent family (very often it is difficult to identify the father of the baby). The most common decision of the teenagers and their parents is to get rid of pregnancy. Abortion in such a young age is quite a regular thing nowadays, because a baby is a great responsibility and one can not study and work having it. On the other hand abortion influences the girl’s body badly and it is the next problem. So, the topic is extremely urgent in modern society and nearly every student is asked to prepare a research paper on teenage pregnancy and analyze the problem deeply. Students have to spend much time to discover some cultural aspects and points of view towards teenage pregnancy of different people of the world. They have to brainstorm good methods and...
Words: 3038 - Pages: 13
...never thought about how a pregnancy would affect their lives even though having a baby could be one of the most life-changing experiences a person can have. Choosing this topic interested me because I enjoy watching the show Teen Mom and it was always interesting to me what their lives are like with having a baby at age 18 or younger. What I really wanted to find through research were the statistics on pregnancy rates. Researching this topic will give me a further understanding of exactly how many mothers get pregnant and the outcomes of different decisions. The decisions in which a pregnant mother makes should benefit her son or daughter instead of herself. Teen pregnancy causes unwanted stress, financial problems, and most of all it interferes with completing school. Now that this topic has been introduced, now we can get a deeper look on what exactly a teen mom goes through and how it will affect her in the decisions she makes. Teen mothers should be making good decisions in what’s best for her child as far as completing high school and enrolling in college. Education is still an important responsibility of a teen mother. Finishing high school and pursuing a college education will allow her to be able to financially support her child and become more independent. Statistics show that “only one third of teenage mothers complete high school and receive their diplomas.” Also stats show that “by age thirty, only 1.5 percent of women who had pregnancies as a teenager have a college...
Words: 1419 - Pages: 6
...Teen pregnancies in the Philippines By Rebecca B. Singson Philippine Daily Inquirer Filed Under: People, Lifestyle & Leisure MANILA, Philippines—The sexual revolution has ushered in a period in which the average adolescent experiences tremendous pressures to have sexual experiences of all kinds. Filipino teens get a higher exposure to sex from the Internet, magazines, TV shows, movies and other media than decades ago, yet without any corresponding increase in information on how to handle the input. So kids are pretty much left to other kids for opinions and value formation when it comes to sex. Sexual misinformation is therefore equally shared in the group. Parents at home and teachers in school feel equally inadequate or uneasy to discuss the topic of sex with youngsters. The problem mounts because the barkada (gang) has a more profound influence than parents do and they exert pressure and expect the adolescent to conform to the rest of them. In fact, female adolescents whose friends engage in sexual behavior were found to be more likely to do the same compared to those who do not associate with such peers. If the teen perceives her peers to look negatively at premarital sex, she was more likely to start sex at a later age. Numbers Statistics in the United States show that each year, almost 1 million teenage women—10 percent of all women aged 15-19 and 19 percent of those who have had sexual intercourse—become pregnant and onefourth of teenage mothers have a second child within...
Words: 1642 - Pages: 7
