Pregnancy And Baby Care Teen Pregnancy Teen Pregnancy Health

... problems spill into the realm of social and economic health as well. Teen mothers are usually associated with low education and low annual income. They are more prone to drop out of school. Very few teen mothers obtain a high school diploma. Most of them take recourse to social welfare at some stage of their life. Such fathers too, usually have low educational levels coupled with low income capacity. In many cases, the father may not even be willing to shoulder the responsibility of the pregnancy, leaving the teenage mother to fend for herself. This can affect the mother physically and emotionally.

Teen Pregnancy Health Problems

There are many teen pregnancy health issues. Teenage mothers are at greater risk for complications such as miscarriages, stillbirths or premature labor. Children born to teen mothers also face many health risks, which may affect them physically, mentally and emotionally.

Teen mothers generally tend to have poor eating habits. They have less knowledge about proper nutrition and diet, and also about taking adequate calcium, iron and multi-vitamin supplements during pregnancy. Teen mothers are also more likely to drink alcohol, take drugs or smoke during pregnancy. This leads to less weight gain, leading to low infant birth weight. This in turn is associated with greater chances of infant mortality and several disorders such as organs which are not fully developed, intestinal problems and respiratory distress syndrome.  Cleft palate, asthma, apnea, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), food allergies and tuberculosis, and even mental problems such as attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity, have been related to low birth weight and substance abuse in the pregnant mother.

Teen mothers also have greater chances of suffering from post-partum depression usually associated to lack of family and social support.

Teen Pregnancy Health Issues

Teen pregnancy health issues also include the social and emotional health of the children born to teenage mothers. Teen mothers are less capable of giving proper health care, nutrition and proper social and cognitive stimulation to their children. Such children are also at greater risk for neglect and abuse. This puts them at risk for lower academic achievement, and other social problems such as drug and alcohol abuse.

Events over the past few decades have shown that children born to teenage mothers also become teenage mothers, thus carrying on the cycle of teen pregnancy health problems.