Teenage pregnancy refers to the pregnancy in females during adolescence. Generally, a female can become pregnant after the onset of the menstrual period, that occurs at the age of 12 or 13. Most teenage pregnancies in the developing countries are intentional and an outcome of marriage under 18 years of age. In developed countries, a majority of such pregnancies appear unplanned and the other causes include peer pressure, absent parents, lack of knowledge, and teenage drinking. The percentage of teenage pregnancies issuing from rapes or sexual abuse is approximate same, for developed and developing nations. Recently, the International community showed concern regarding its consequences and urged nations to work toward it.
Positive effects of teenage pregnancy:
The arrival of a newborn in a family is no way an unfortunate thing.
Aspire future
Figures show that many teen mothers feel motivated and are achieving their career goals without any childcare burden. The moral obligation of childcare makes them responsible. Because of obvious early economic issues, they tend to start working in a field they are best at, which provides a base for a major opportunity in the future.
Augment maturity
No matter what the age of a girl is, the second her baby come into this world, she automatically becomes protective of it. She becomes a mother. Maturity comes as a by-product of a newborn. One starts to make fair decisions for oneself and the baby. Researchers found that the responsibility of child affect their poor habits and they consume minimum alcohol and discard drugs and smoking.
Elevate energy level
Young mothers are highly energetic, like every other youngster. It means they will be able to work and provide parental care in an effective manner without tiredness. A young mother means more outgoing for the child and what can be better than growing around nature. At the same time, it is more likely that a teen mother will be attending all parents meeting and functions in a school, which is very important for the academic development of a child.
Strengthen family relationships
The teenage years can be rough for any adolescent. Breaking ties with families and strong bonding with friends is common. Studies show that a childbirth strengthen the family relationship and same goes for teenage parents. Blind to the social abuses, a small family becomes their entire world at an early age which most people learn in later ages.
Negative effects of teenage pregnancy:
The teenage pregnancy can adversely affect the overall development of an adolescent.
Emotional crisis
An unintended pregnancy along with the burden of responsibility and tough decision-making can drop a teenager mother into a pool of depression. The consumption of drinking and smoking exaggerates such depression. And the negative thoughts regarding future, self-respect, self-esteem heightens the emotions and affects the health of a mother. This might become an obstacle to the baby’s healthy growth. In addition, anger and frustration toward oneself and baby can greatly impact their relationship, after the birth.
Social stigma
In many countries, a community sees teenage pregnancy as a stain on their social norms. The first reaction of teenagers toward the pregnancy news makes it clear that they feel the same way. Their support network starts to diminish with time and isolation embrace them which leads to the poor health outcomes. Figures show that maximum teenage mothers suffer from embarrassment and prejudice on the hands of community and peers group.
Economic burden
The responsibility of newborn forces teenage parents to drop out. They start to earn with the little mental and physical potential they possess. High expenses heighten the risks of living in poverty. Some teenage mothers might receive public benefits but it doesn’t last for more than a year. Also, the medical expenses for a premature baby lighten their purses to great extent.
Health issues
The onset of the menstrual period doesn’t mean that a woman is healthy enough to conceive a child. Teenage bodies are vulnerable to produce a child. And pregnancy put them at high risk of anemia and preeclampsia. In a majority of cases, delivery takes place before the said time. In addition, teenage mothers undergo forceps delivery and the possibility of bearing a healthy child is minute.
Many people see teenage pregnancy as a result of contraception failure or low expectation, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Studies show that the major burden teenage parents face isn’t responsibility toward child but their social acceptance. Most of these studies belong to developed countries and developing nations own a complete different story. Child marriage and sexual abuse are some common causes of teenage pregnancy. In such cases, NGOs and society can play a major role in pursuing the government toward enacting laws and acts against malpractices as well as proper care of mother and child.
Labels:negative effects of teenage pregnancy,