Teenage pregnancy may not be the problem that it once was, but its still a problem. The teen pregnancy rate dropped significantly from 1991 through 2005, but rose in 2006 and 2007.
Its important to understand the facts and statistics about teenage pregnancy so that we can better educate our children about the implications and dangers involved.
Here are some of the most recent teen pregnancy statistics:
Over 10% of births in the U.S. are to mothers under the age of 20.
Of those births, around two thirds are born to girls that are 18 or 19.
30% of teenage girls will become pregnant at least one time before they turn 20.
Of those mothers who have a baby before the age of 18, 1 in 4 will have another baby within two years.
Teenage moms are more susceptible to a premature birth. Premature birth for babies born to women under the age of 20 is around 14.5%, while the overall rate for babies born to women over 20 is 11.9%.
Premature babies face a number of potential risks, including health problems, death, or long-term disability.
More teenage mothers smoke than older mothers. About 17% of teenage mothers smoked, while only 10% of women between the ages of 25 and 34 smoked.
Babies born to women who smoke face risks like premature birth, low birthweight, and even SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
Smoking during pregnancy also creates complications for pregnancy, including placenta problems.
Teenage moms are less likely to get the maternal care that they need. Around 7.1% of women under 20 received either no prenatal care or late prenatal care, while the overall rate is only 3.7%.
Babies born to teen moms are more likely to die during their first year than babies born to older women. The risk seems to be greatest for babies born to girls under 15. 16.4 babies out of 1,000 born to women under 15 died, compared to 6.8 babies for the overall population.
Teenage pregnancy is a problem that impacts the mom, the baby, and society as a whole. Become informed, and help others know the consequences of teen pregnancy, as well.
