Teenage pregnancy outcome

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Teenage pregnancy is universal in all known societies past and present. Controversy exists \vhether poor obstetric performance of teenagers is related to age or quality of care received.. The study was conducted to assess the antenatal care received and to assess the pregnancy outcome in teenage mothers. OBJECTIVES: To describe the reception of antenatal care provided, pregnancy complications and out corne in teenage pregnant mothers delivering at teaching hospital Peradeniya. METHOD: A prospective descriptive study, using interviewer administered questionnaire was done on teenage mothers who delivered at teaching hospital Peradeniya from 1st of April 2005 to 31st of March, 2006. Data was collected with regard to the demographic characteristics, booking antenatal visits, pregnancy complications and pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: There were 190 teenage mothers delivered during the study period. Data were collected from 186 of them. Only 5.2% of the population was booked at any antenatal clinic before 12 weeks of period of amenorrhoea (POA), while the mean POA of booking was 24 weeks. Ninety five (51.1%) has had 5 or more antenatal clinic visits. Number of clinic visits and folk acid intake during first trimester was not related to the age of teenage mother. Anaemia was the commonest complication noted, accounting to 19.4%, while PIH was seen in 5.45 % of cases. LSCS was the mode of delivery in 16.7% of cases while instrumental deliveries contributed to 8.6%. In 26.9% of babies, birth weight was less than 2500grams, while 17.7 % of babies needed to be admitted to SBU. DISCUSSION: Teenage pregnant mothers are less likely to have received early and adequate antenatal care. More attention is needed to identify teenage pregnancies at early stage with subsequent referral to an antenatal clinic.