Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage Pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female under

the age of 20, according to the WHO. Pregnancy can occur with sexual intercourse after the start
of ovulation, which can be before the first menstrual period (menarche) but usually occurs after
the onset of periods. Currently, the Philippines has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates
among the ASEAN member states. More than 500 adolescents are becoming pregnant and giving
birth every day.
Though teenage pregnancy can be linked to things such as lack of education and
information about sexual and reproductive health and rights, Inadequate access to services
tailored to young people, family, community and social pressure to marry, sexual violence, early
engagement of sexual activity, getting pregnant at such a young age shouldn’t be normalized and
shouldn’t be considered as a choice. Because according to the results of studies, teen mothers
face many physical, psychological, social and spiritual challenges. They need a constant need for
support and training. They have an inability to plan and make decisions, they lack of maternal
skills, and they will be encountering unknown situations and major changes in their lives. They
will have high risk pregnancy and birth as their bodies are still too young to undergo such a
drastic change in such a short time, they are susceptible to mental health problems(depression,
anxiety, shock, low self-efficacy, isolation). Becoming mothers at such a young age, they will
have multiple responsibilities- being a student, a daughter, a friend, a sister, and a mother. It will
gradually lead to having a role conflict and identity confusion which causes the teenage mom to
have inadequate social and spiritual support, disruption of education and employment, financial
problems, social stigma and, religious or cultural negative reaction, inappropriate behavior of
health care providers, and family conflicts.
Teenage mothers have higher rates of post-partum depression. They also have higher
rates of suicidal ideation than their peers who aren't mothers. Teen mothers are more likely to
experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than other teenage women, as well.
Teenage pregnancy is one of the top causes of teenagers dropping out of school. These
teenagers now have multiple roles to portray, as mentioned above. They act as a student, a sister,
a daughter, a friend, and a mother. Remember that time isn’t unlimited, they couldn’t portray as
all of these in the same time. This causes them to sacrifice at least one responsibility. Mostly,
education and being a student is the responsibility they’ll choose to sacrifice therefore delaying
their future. Because truthfully, being a teenage mom is a hindrance to reaching your dreams
especially if you are living in poverty in the first place.
Teenage pregnancy also affects a family’s financial stability as almost all cases of
teenage pregnancy are unplanned. Teenagers don’t have a source of income yet as they are still
studying. A family’s budget for the month is only enough for the existing primary family. A plus
1 in the family shakes the family’s budget per month. This may lead to a change in lifestyle- less
food on the table as the baby gets the number 1 priority. This may also affect not just the teenage
mom’s education but also her siblings’. It is a never ending cycle that will lead us to our only
conclusion: Teenage pregnancy should not be considered as a choice for teenagers.
Lastly, teenage pregnancy affects not just the future of the mother but also of the baby.
There are a lot of negative factors regarding the safety of a pregnant teenager and the future of a
child of an unemployed, naïve, immature teen and there is not even a single positive tone
regarding this issue. Educate yourselves with abstinence, safe sex, and preventive measures. As
what they all say, prevention is always better than cure but in this case, there is no cure but to
prevent and abstain from the dangers and life-long effects of teenage pregnancy.

Teenage Pregnancy

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Teenage Pregnancy

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Teenage Pregnancy

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female under

You might also like