Реферат: Teenage Pregnancy Essay Research Paper The Truth

achievement, higher drop out rates, and are more likely to be held back in school.”

(Calhoun 310)

Teenage pregnancy comes with not only a child, but also many consequences.

Teen mothers face greater health risks than older mothers, such as anemia, pregnancy

induced hypertension, toxemia, premature delivery, cervical trauma, and even death.

Many of these health risks are due to inadequate prenatal care and support, rather than

physical immaturity. The teenage mother is more likely to be undernourished and suffer

premature and prolonged labor. (Calhoun 311) The death rate from pregnancy

complications are much higher among girls who give birth under age fifteen. (Gormly

347) Poor eating habits, smoking, alcohol and drugs increase the risk of having a baby

with health problems. (Johnson 3) The younger the teenage mother is, the higher the

chances are that she and her baby will have health problems. This is mainly due to late

prenatal care (if any) and poor nutrition. (Planned Parenthood 1) An adolescent mother

and her baby may not get enough nutrients and, because the mother’s body is not fully

mature, she may have many complications throughout the duration of the pregnancy.

(Johnson 4)

Along with the mother, the children of teenage parents too often become part of a

cycle of poor health, school failure, and poverty. Infants born to teenage mothers are at a

high risk of prematurity, fragile health, the need for intensive care, cerebral palsy, epilepsy,

and mental retardation. (Johnson 5) Low birth weight is the most immediate health

problem. Babies born to teenagers are often born too small, too soon. Low birthweight

babies may have immature organ systems (brain, lungs, and heart), difficulty controlling

body temperature and blood sugar levels, and a risk of dying in early infancy that is much

higher than that of normal weight babies (five and one-half pounds or more). (Calhoun

310) “The death rate for babies whose mothers are under fifteen years of age is double

that of babies whose mothers are twenty to thirty years old.” (Johnson 5)

Because of these extremely serious problems, many government, as well as local,

organizations are fighting to stop the occurence of teenage pregnancy by helping to

educate children of the risks involved and the consequences after. Some research