Adolescent pregnancy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adolescent pregnancy - Assignment Example The ultimate result is usually unplanned pregnancy at teenage age. Lack of proper guidance from parents or caretakers is a factor that leads to teenage pregnancy. This is because such teenagers require support and appropriate guidance during their adolescence stage (Macleod, 2003). Teenage pregnancy carries with itself colossal amount of health risk to the baby, mother and the society. According to WHO, pregnancy and childbirth related complications are the second causes of death among teenagers globally. Some of the risks that teenage pregnancy pose to the baby include delivery of low birth weight babies that predispose them to lifelong conditions, reduced developmental milestone leading to intellectual and socio-emotional delays. The risk to the mother includes school dropout, abortions, psychological problems like depression, low self-esteem because she feels neglected by the peers. She can as well have medical complications during delivery because of inadequate and immature pelvis. Teenage pregnancy risk to the society include influence on other younger girls who may see it as a fashion and try it, burden to the maternal child health clinic, reduced economic output since they are not working and drop out of school (Crittenden, Boris, Rice, Taylor, & Olds, 2009). The Maryland family planning health programme is involved in prevention of teen pregnancies. The programme funds young adult and teen pregnancy prevention. This programme aims to reach several youths who are at risk of being pregnant. Its main theme is advocating abstinence and offering tools that help to delay sexual activity and unplanned pregnancies. The national support centre for state teens is involved in youth activism by critically putting in place policies that address teen pregnancies. They support and strengthen the states capacity to stop teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. They offer services like