Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Dealing with the responsibility of being a parent is one of the hardest tasks to take on. One of the problems in today's society is teenage pregnancy. The risk of pregnancy in teenagers is increasing largely. Many teenagers don't know how big of a responsibility it is to raise another human being when they themselves still have a lot of growing to do. Teenagers need to be more educated about themselves and their bodies as well as ways to protect themselves from getting pregnant if they're sexually active. Also, teenagers are more prone to risks during a pregnancy than a twenty or thirty year old woman would be.

Why do teenage girls get pregnant?

One of the main factors of teen pregnancy is the influence of media technology. Teenagers’ minds are easily influenced because they are not mature enough to decide what is right or wrong. Pirated DVDs are cheap and available everywhere, thus it is easy for a teen to get a copy of movies they can’t watch in cinemas because they are underage. Also, the convenience of the internet provides a way to help them download any video or the latest movies that contain pornography such as The Fast and The Furious, The Catwomen, Charlie Angels and others . At their age, they should not act like an adult and have sex. Therefore, media technologies easily influence the teenage mind which is still lacking of knowledge.

Below are some other factors that contribute to teen pregnancy:

• Some girls have not been educated on right and wrong birth control methods
  
• Some girls, although very rare, feel that becoming pregnant is a good way to rebel against her parents
  
• Some girls are missing love and other emotional feelings because they are not getting it at home, so they look for those feelings elsewhere in order to fulfil their needs
  
• Often, mistakes do happen (the condom is broken, she forgot to take her pill one day etc.)
  
• Some girls feel the need to have control when they loose control everywhere else
  
• Some girls feel that if they have a baby, her boyfriend will love her and stay

Health Risks to a Teenage Mother

A teenage mother has special problems, emotionally and physically.

• The death rate from pregnancy complications is a lot higher for girls who are pregnant under the age of 15 than among older teenagers
  
• Pregnant teenagers are more likely to be undernourished and suffer premature or prolonged labor
  
• During the first 3 months of pregnancy; seven out of ten teenage girls do not get prenatal care, see a doctor, or go to a clinic
  
• Teenage mothers are at risk of getting anemia, high blood pressure, placental problems, and pregnancy induced hypertension
  
• Teenage girls with STI's or HIV can pass complications on to her baby when it is born
  
• Teenage girls may also develop many emotional problems such as depression, shame, guilt, and stress
  
• Teenage mothers have the risk of problems such as poor weight gain and premature labor.

*The younger the mother, the greater the chance to have complications for both the baby and the mother.

Consequences of Teenage Pregnancy

The future of teenage girls who are pregnant often don't hold great promises for the baby and teenager due to the amount of dedication involved with raising a child.

• 2/3 of pregnant teenagers drop out of school
  
• The demands of education are high in order to find a good job, therefore leaving a problem for a teenage mother who has dropped out; leading her to go on welfare because of her deep financial problem
  
• If a teenage couple get married after they have a baby, it will most likely end in divorce
  
• A teenager can’t go out with friends as much as they used to, their social life is put on hold for quite a while
  
• Teenage girls who are pregnant can’t party (drink, smoke, and use drugs)
  
• Teenage girls miss out on their own childhood because they are busy taking care of another child
  
• Teenage girls put pressure on their parents for help on raising the child
  
• Children miss out on many things an older mother can give to her child
  
• Due to a teenagers young age, they do not have the proper parenting skills that are needed in order to raise a child well
  
• Staying in school can be harder due to the schools attitude, peer attitudes, and lack of day care for the baby

Source:
Our Health, Our Futures

Labels: teen pregnancy