The teenage pregnancy Unwanted occurs more frequently after the initiation of early sexual intercourse, due to the lack of sexual education and due to the misuse of contraceptives. In this article we explain its causes, consequences and some tips that can help you to face this complicated situation.
In general, adolescence sets its limits between 10 and 19 years, the more dangerous adolescent pregnancy is the younger the future mother is - sometimes, the adolescent's body has not finished its development.-.
Despite the fact that in Spain and Latin America there has been a moderate decrease in the number of pregnant adolescents, world figures show that there is still a long way to go.
Some of the most striking data are:
- About 16 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 and approximately 1 million girls under 15 years give birth each year, most in low- and middle-income countries.
- Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death among 15-19 year old girls around the world.
- Every year, about 3 millions of girls aged 15 to 19 undergo dangerous abortions.
- Babies of teenage mothers face a considerably higher risk of dying than those born to women aged 20 to 24.
Although there are many causes of unwanted pregnancies in adolescence, here we present the ones that have been most studied. Knowing them will allow you to act on them and avoid, as far as possible, that your children have inappropriate sexual practices.
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In today's society, a decrease in the average age of initiation of sexual relations has been observed. A few years ago, the average age at which sexual intercourse began was 18 years for men and 19 years for women.
Today, more and more teens are having sex before they turn 16 years old. Thus, by starting to have sex early, adolescents are not prepared to assess the consequences of irresponsible sexual behavior..
As a parent, it may be difficult for you to stop seeing your children as children. However, it is important that you accept the new stage they have reached and change your attitude with them..
Ideally, you should not withhold information from your children regarding sexuality. Talk to them openly so it doesn't become a taboo topic in the family. Abandon the perception of sex as something forbidden, to be avoided.
Sooner or later, your kids will start having sex, so you better help them be prepared..
You would be surprised to know the myths that circulate among adolescents in relation to fertility. Some of them are:
- "When a woman has intercourse for the first time, she cannot get pregnant".
- "She only gets pregnant when she has her period".
- "Pregnancy can be avoided by having sex standing up".
As you can see, this is totally false information, which circulates among the adolescent population. All the truthful information that you provide will benefit them at a time in their life when they are so vulnerable to the advice of their peers..
This is due, in part, to the lack of information that we have discussed above..
Some teens dispense with contraception thinking that they can compensate for it by using tactics such as “backing up,” in which they interrupt penetration moments before ejaculating.
However, sometimes minors do not use contraception due to lack of accessibility to them. To avoid this situation, although it may seem surprising to you, some parents choose to provide their children with condoms at home.
At first, this situation can be very uncomfortable but little by little, it is normalizing within the family.
Adolescence is a time when new experiences are lived in many ways. It is not uncommon for them to come into contact with drugs and alcohol. The use of this type of substances entails -among other things- that adolescents have an even lower perception of danger.
To prevent this behavior from being a risk factor in teenage pregnancy, you should provide information to minors about the consequences of consumption. In addition, the consumption of alcohol / drugs can lead to numerous additional problems, such as accidents, illnesses, addictions, among others.
For this reason, you should pay attention to the signs that your children are consuming these types of substances and take a remedy before the situation worsens. Remember that this is a time of vulnerability in many ways and substance use can increase the danger to which they are already exposed.
Many studies indicate that adolescent mothers "create" future adolescent mothers in some way. If you were a mother in your adolescence, you could seek psychological advice on how to educate your children.
You may need to put more emphasis on some aspects of her education to avoid an unwanted pregnancy.
So far, we have discussed the risk factors for teenage pregnancy. Here are some of its most significant consequences:
One of the immediate consequences for a future teenage mother - who decides to have the baby - is dropping out of school. The main objective of the adolescent is to find a job with which to cope with the new economic expenses.
Normally, these are low-skilled and low-paid jobs, since the adolescent has not yet acquired a full academic training. Later, it will be difficult for them to resume their studies, so a situation of poverty in the family nucleus can be perpetuated.
Adolescent couples are often short-lived and unstable, and the presence of a child magnifies this situation. Sometimes, the relationship is formalized and lasts in a forced way, to face the new reality.
However, in most cases, they also end up ending this forced romantic relationship. Thus, minors who are involved in an unwanted pregnancy have to face, in many cases, this situation by themselves - or with the help of their parents-.
Therefore, to the complicated situation of becoming pregnant at a time when they are not prepared, it is added that they become single mothers.
Half of the parents do not take responsibility for their future child either emotionally or financially, many of them advised by their own parents. Others question their paternity, so they also avoid taking responsibility for what happened.
In our society, unfortunately, an unwanted pregnancy is a problem that must be dealt with, above all, by the future mother. Parents who take responsibility, stop studying and look for a low-skilled job, this being a risk factor for their future economy.
Future parents are involved in a difficult situation to deal with, which is a social stigma in most cases. They have to assume the role of parents, at a time when they were defining their own personality.
In addition, the stress to which they are subjected - inappropriate to their chronological age - facilitates the appearance of emotional disorders. Therefore, they will have difficulties to carry out a happy fatherhood or motherhood.
Since the mother has had her first child at a very young age, she is more likely to have more children than women of her generation - who tend to delay childbearing age-.
This fact, added to the risk of performing low-paid jobs, can seriously damage the family economy.
A single mother may feel the need to have a partner by her side who brings her financial and emotional well-being. This thought can lead to many problems, such as trying to continue a relationship despite physical or psychological abuse.
The self-esteem of an adolescent single mother is usually very deteriorated, since she is normally socially stigmatized and has suffered the abandonment of many people around her.
This is an area that should be worked on in depth, to help the adolescent to be self-sufficient, and to avoid the occurrence of numerous - and inappropriate - romantic relationships..
In addition, this situation in which temporary courtships occur can also affect the emotional stability of your child, since it fails to create a secure attachment to a father figure.
Once the unwanted pregnancy has occurred, the decisions that will be made must be carefully analyzed, since they will have an impact on the well-being of the adolescent for life. If they decide to abort, give it up for adoption or raise their child, their lives will change radically, and there is no possibility of rectification..
In the first two situations, it has been shown that adolescent girls often present - sooner or later - feelings of guilt, regret and psychological discomfort, which will affect them in many areas of their lives.
In the event that you decide to have the baby, you will have to cope with numerous tasks for which you are not yet ready..
To face this situation, in which the adolescent decides to have the baby, we provide you with some tips that can help you.
At an early age, pregnancy can have various medical complications that endanger the health of the fetus and the future mother.
You can encourage the adolescent to attend her medical appointments regularly, to avoid or detect these problems.
Healthcare includes this program to provide teenage mothers with tools to guide them in this difficult task. The data collected in these programs indicate that future mothers have a lower incidence of maternal and perinatal mortality.
It has also been shown that young women who attend these types of programs use contraceptive methods more, after delivery. Therefore, whenever possible, you should encourage the expectant mother to benefit from the resources that are available to her..
Adolescent mothers can benefit from numerous public grants that seek to provide young women with the resources they need. Whenever possible, continuing your studies is a good option.
If it is in your power, you could offer your help so that the adolescent mother continues her academic training and can apply for a better paying job in the future.
A person who is taking care of your child can present great difficulties in their day-to-day life. In fact, on many occasions parental neglect or abuse occurs, since they blame the child for what happened.
It is important that, from your position and experience, you help young people who are going to assume the role of parents, to avoid this type of situation. Your company and support will be of great help in a vital crisis, in which adolescents find themselves alone and criticized by their closest environment.
As you can see, even if it is a thorny issue, there are numerous ways to help a teenager who is going through this situation.
And you, in what other ways do you think you can help?
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