Teenage pregnancy is considered to occur between the ages of 10 and 20, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Indicated as a high-risk pregnancy due to the concerns it brings to the mother and the newborn, pregnancy in this age group can lead to social and biological problems.
Brazil has high rates of pregnant teenagers. However, the Ministry of Health indicates that there was a 17% reduction in the number of mothers between 10 and 19 years old, in the period from 2004 to 2015.
Early pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy occurs at a time of intense body changes
Adolescence is a period of life rich in emotional manifestations, characterized by ambiguity of roles, change in values and difficulties in the search for independence in life.
Teenage pregnancy is often seen negatively from the emotional and financial point of view of teenagers and their families, drastically changing their routines.
See some data on teenage pregnancy in Brazil and around the world:
- 3 million teenagers become mothers each year around the world, of which 2 million are under 15 years old;
- in 2010, a report released by a body linked to the UN indicates that 12% of adolescents between 15 and 19 years old had at least one child;
- Brazil has 21 million adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, with around 300,000 children born to mothers in this age group;
- in a survey carried out by the UN, Brazil has 68.4 babies born to teenage mothers for every thousand girls aged 15 to 19 years.
Consequences and risks
Teenage pregnancy: risks and consequences
Teenage pregnancy can have emotional, social and economic consequences for the health of mother and child.
Most teenagers who become pregnant drop out of school to care for the child, which increases the risk of unemployment and economic dependence on family members.
These factors contribute to the perpetuation of poverty, low levels of education, abuse and family violence, both to mother and child.
In addition, the occurrence of childhood deaths is high in children born to teenage mothers.
The socioeconomic situation, the lack of support and follow-up of the pregnancy (prenatal) contribute to the fact that the adolescents do not receive adequate information regarding appropriate maternal nutrition, the importance of breastfeeding and the vaccination of the child.
There is also a large number of adolescents who undergo unsafe abortions , using substances and drugs to abort or in clandestine clinics. This has great risks for the adolescent’s health and even life, being one of the main causes of maternal death.
These actions cause harm to children, generating an impact on public health , in addition to limiting the personal, social and professional development of pregnant women.
Read also :
- abortion in Brazil
- Bullying
main factors
There are several factors of an objective and subjective nature that lead to pregnancy at the beginning of reproductive life, such as:
- Lack of adequate knowledge of contraceptive methods and how to use them;
- Difficulty in accessing these methods by the adolescent;
- Girls’ difficulty and embarrassment in requesting their partner to use a condom;
- Naivety and submission;
- Violence;
- Abandonment;
- Desire to establish a stable relationship with the partner;
- Strong desire for motherhood, with the expectation of social change and gaining autonomy through motherhood;
- Girls with an increasingly precocious onset of sexual life.
The family environment is also directly related to the onset of sexual activity.
Early sexual experiences are observed in adolescents in families where older siblings already have an active sex life.
It is common to find pregnant teenagers whose mothers also started their sexual life early or became pregnant during their adolescence.
On the other hand, families where there is a habit of conversation and guidance on sexual life , the situation may be different and sexuality can be better used by adolescents at the right time.
How to avoid teenage pregnancy?
The best way to avoid teenage pregnancy is to be properly informed and to know your own body and that of your partner before starting your sexual life.
Boys and girls should be informed about contraceptive methods . The condom is the most common, cheapest and easiest to use. In addition to unwanted pregnancies, it also protects against sexually transmitted diseases .
Contraceptive Methods
There are several contraceptive or contraceptive methods, which are divided into 4 types:
- Barrier Methods
They use products or instruments that prevent the passage of sperm through the vagina. Are they:
- Male condom (condom) and female;
- Diaphragm;
Barrier contraceptive methods
- Behavioral Methods
They depend mainly on the woman’s behavior and require prior knowledge of the female body in order to be applied. Are they:
- table;
- Mucus;
Behavioral contraceptive methods
- Hormonal Methods
Pills or injections made with unnatural hormones. This type of method interferes with the hormonal balance of the woman’s body, altering the development of the endometrium, the movement of the uterine tubes, the production of cervical mucus and preventing ovulation from occurring. Are they:
- Pills;
- Injections;
- Stickers;
- Intrauterine Device – IUD: This is an object placed inside the vagina to prevent conception.
Hormonal contraceptive methods
- Surgical Methods or Sterilization
It is not exactly a contraceptive method, but a surgery performed on the man or woman to definitely prevent conception. Female sterilization is called tubal ligation and male sterilization is called vasectomy.