Dealing With Teen Pregnancy – An Informative Guide

Teen pregnancies are usually difficult for everyone involved. There are physical, financial and emotional consequences of an unplanned pregnancy, whatever your age – but especially for teenagers. Let's take these consequences in turn.

The first consequences of a teen pregnancy are the physical ones. Most teenage girls are still growing themselves. Many have less than nutritious diets and most haven’t been taking any kind of prenatal vitamin. For these reasons, teenagers are at a higher risk for certain complications of pregnancy, including high blood pressure, which can cause other complications including pre-eclampsia. The babies of teenage mothers are also at a higher risk of being born prematurely and of having a low birthweight, both of which can mean future problems for the babies.

Teenagers also rarely receive proper prenatal care in a timely and regular fashion, as they may be reluctant to admit they’re pregnant or be unable to afford it. However, it’s important for teenagers who have been having unprotected sexual intercourse to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, which could be passed on to their babies. Pregnant teens are also more likely to smoke, not to gain an adequate amount of weight, and be underweight when their pregnancies begin.

The financial consequences of a teen pregnancy are also very real. When a teenager becomes pregnant, it’s less likely that she’ll continue her education and go on to find a well paying job. According to the March of Dimes, less than half of the teens who have a child before age 18 go on to complete their high school education. In fact, more than half of all families on welfare include a mom who gave birth to her first child in her teen years.

However, teenagers who do want to continue their education must find a way to deal with childcare expenses, in addition to all the other expenses related to caring for a child. Teen parents are less likely to be married and teen fathers are less likely to pay child support – often because they’re unemployed. This places the full financial burden for raising the child on the teenage mother and her resources, whether they come from the family, the community, or the government.

In addition, a pregnant teen is faced with very real and very difficult life choices, each of which has varying emotional consequences. First, there’s the question of whether or not to carry the pregnancy to term or seek an abortion. Then, there’s the question of whether to place the baby up for adoption or raise the baby herself. These are all emotionally charged and complex issues that are difficult enough for adults to deal with and even more so for teens, who are – after all –still children themselves.

Teen pregnancy is also linked with several different types of violence, including violence at the hands of an intimate partner and sexual abuse. Depression is common among pregnant teens and some become suicidal. If you or a loved one is facing a teen pregnancy, it’s important to seek out positive support resources to help cope with these challenging decisions.