Early age pregnancy: What is it, causes and health risk to both mother and baby!

We have often heard about early age pregnancy and its risks. Let us today dive into this topic to know all about "Why is early pregnancy seen as a concern for young girls?"

What is known as Early age pregnancy?

Pregnancy that happens before the age of 20 is known as  Early age pregnancy. About 16 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years give birth each year.

Adolescent pregnancy is a serious problem that can have negative consequences for both mother and baby. Adolescent girls who give birth are at a higher risk of dying from childbirth than the women in their 20s or 30s. Not only for women, even the babies born to these mothers are more likely to die in their first year of life.

There are multiple factors that contribute to adolescent pregnancy like lack of education and social pressure. In some cultures it is even a culture to marry off girls at a young age and have children early.

How Early age pregnancy is a hazard to both mother and baby?

Health Risks for the Mother:

• Increased risk of pregnancy complications: Teenage mothers are more likely to experience complications such as being overweight, anemia, malaria, sexually transmitted infections, preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and Obstetric fistula (a hole between the vagina and rectum or bladder).
• Higher risk of maternal mortality: Teenage mothers have a higher risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth compared to those who conceive after 20 years of age.
• Limited educational and career opportunities: Early pregnancy disrupts a woman's education and career plans further leading to long-term disadvantages both economically and socially..
• Increased risk of mental health issues: Teenage mothers are not completely ready for these responsibilities and hence may experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

Health Risks for the Newborn baby:

• Increased risk of low birth weight: Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to be born prematurely or have low birth weight. This birthing state comes with various health problems too.
• Higher risk of infant mortality: Research has found that babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to die than the babies born to mothers in their 20s.
• Developmental delays: Children of teenage mothers may experience developmental delays in cognitive, language, and social skills.

Early age pregnancy comes with significant health risks for both the mother and the baby. Therefore, the best time to get pregnant is between the ages of 20 and 35 years.

We hope this video was helpful. So, plan your pregnancy well in time and watch our next video to clear some myths and misconceptions about pregnancy.

Source:- https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/mca-documents/making-pregnancy-safer-notes-adolescent-pregnancy-volume-1-number-1.pdf