Teen Pregnancy

The majority of teen pregnancy these days are unplanned. Many people often wonder what are the major causes of teen pregnancy? Statistics show that teens are less likely to use contraception, or use it less often than adults, which makes the risk of unplanned pregnancy much higher. Teen pregnancy rates have been declining steadily over the past decade, however, which shows teenagers are either having less sex or taking more precautionary measures to prevent pregnancy.

Teen pregnancy can be harmful to the baby due to the fact that many teen mothers do not get the proper nutrition needed to support a growing baby. Teen mothers are also less likely to gain enough weight during their pregnancy resulting in a lowered birth weight of their baby. This can lead to other problems in the baby such as underdeveloped organs, which can result in death. Teen mothers are also less likely to get all the proper exams during pregnancy that monitor their baby's health.

Teenage moms are more likely to drop out of school and are associated with lower annual incomes. As a result, many teenage moms' children end up without proper nutrition or education. Children born to teenage moms are also more likely to become involved in crime and become teenage parents themselves. Hopefully through the help of education the teenage pregnancy rate will continue to decline.