teen pregnancy

TEEN PREGNANCY'S

• 31% of teenage girls get pregnant at least once before they reach age 20.*
• 750,000 girls get pregnant in the United States every year.*
• About one in three pregnancies in America are unwanted.*
• Despite recent focus on reducing teen pregnancy rates in the United States, the overall teen birth rate increased in 13 states between 2003 and 2004 and remained stable in 3 others.*
• In many developed countries, teen pregnancies rates have gone down due to changes in sex education that include contraceptive education.  Teen pregnancy rates in the United States are at least twice that in Canada, England, France, and Sweden, and 10 times that in the Netherlands.****
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that at least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease.  

The Increase of Teenage Pregnancy Teenage parenthood is by no means a new social phenomenon. Historically, women have tended to begin childbearing during their teens and early twenties. During the past two decades the U. S. teenage birthrate has actually declined (Polit and others, 1982). In the late 1950s, 90 out of 1000 women under 20 gave birth as compared with 52 out of 1000 in 1978. Several factors contribute to the current attention focused on teenage pregnancy and parenthood. There is currently a large number of young women in the 13 to 19 age range, so that while the birthrates are declining, the absolute number of teenagers is increasing.
The mother also risks the life of the baby due to the premature birth. The teen mother experiences a tremendous dilemma after realizing that some physical changes are substantiating her pregnancy. Mostly such teen’s lacks the courage to explain what they are going through to her parent. Generally, many perform their duties routinely as they lack the knowledge of what is awaited from their womb. Nature takes its cause and before the parent realizes the pregnancy, abortion becomes an option to many teenagers. The Causes of Teen Pregnancy There are many different situations that teenagers get themselves involved in that can lead to teen pregnancy. Many teenagers do not understand the risks that are involved with having sex. Teenagers today are growing up in a culture in which peers, TV and motion pictures, music, and magazines often transmit either covert or overt messages that unmarried sexual relationships (specifically those involving teenagers) are common, accepted, and at times expected, behaviors.

Teen Pregnancy

Teen Pregnancy Research Project


Teenage pregnancy is formally defined as a pregnancy in a young woman
who has not reached her 20th birthday when the pregnancy ends, regardless of
whether the woman is married or is legally an adult. Pregnant teenagers face many of the same obstetrics issues as women in their 20s and 30s. However, there are additional medical concerns for mothers age 14 or younger.

Causes

In some societies, early marriage and traditional gender roles are important factors in the rate of teenage pregnancy. For example, in some sub-Saharan African countries, early pregnancy is often seen as a blessing because it is proof of the young woman's fertility.[12] In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage and pregnancy is more common in traditional rural communities compared to the rate in cities.[13] The lack of education on safe sex, whether it’s from parents, schools, or otherwise, is a cause of teenage pregnancy. Many teenagers are not taught about methods of birth control and how to deal with peers who pressure them into having sex before they are ready. Many pregnant teenagers do not have any cognition of the central facts of sexuality. Some teens have said to be pressured into having sex with their boyfriends at a young age, and yet no one had taught these teens how to deal with this pressure or to say "no".

Contraception

Adolescents may lack knowledge of, or access to, conventional methods of preventing pregnancy, as they may be too embarrassed or frightened to seek such information. Contraception for teenagers presents a huge challenge for the clinician. In 1998, the government of the United Kingdom set a target to halve the under-18 pregnancy rate by 2010. The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) was established to achieve this. The pregnancy rate in this group, although falling, rose slightly in 2007, to 41.7 per 1000 women. Young women often think of contraception either as 'the pill' or condoms and have little knowledge about other methods. They are heavily influenced by negative, second-hand stories about methods of contraception from their friends and the media. Prejudices are extremely difficult to overcome. Over concern about side-effects, for example weight gain and acne, often affect choice. Missing up to three pills a month is common, and in this age group the figure is likely to be higher. Restarting after the pill-free week, having to hide pills, drug interactions and difficulty getting repeat prescriptions can all lead to method failure.

Age discrepancy in relationships

According to the conservative lobbying organization Family Research Council, studies in the US indicate that age discrepancy between the teenage girls and the men who impregnate them is an important contributing factor. Teenage girls in relationships with older boys, and in particular with adult men, are more likely to become pregnant than teenage girls in relationships with boys their own age. They are also more likely to carry the baby to term rather than have an abortion

Sexual abuse

Studies have found that between 11 and 20 percent of pregnancies in teenagers are a direct result of rape, while about 60 percent of teenage mothers had unwanted sexual experiences preceding their pregnancy. Before age 15, a majority of first-intercourse experiences among females are reported to be non-voluntary; the Guttmacher Institute found that 60 percent of girls who had sex before age 15 were coerced by males who on average were six years their senior. One in five teenage fathers admitted to forcing girls to have sex with them.

Media influence

A study conducted in 2006 found that adolescents who were more exposed to sexuality in the media were also more likely to engage in sexual activity themselves.
According to www.time.com, "teens exposed to the most sexual content on TV are twice as likely as teens watching less of this material to become pregnant before they reach age 20".


STATISTICS
o 18% of U.S teens have experienced sex prior to the age of fifteen
o 66% of unmarried teens have sex by the age of nineteen years
o By age twenty 75% of American females and 86% of American males are
sexually

active
o United States has the highest rates of pregnancy
o By age twenty 40%of white women and 64% of black women will have experienced

at least one pregnancy
o 80% of teen women who get married most likely get divorced
* About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year, and more than 530,000
give birth
o 3 million out of 12 million teens are affected by sexually transmitted
diseases these diseases can cause complications with the baby
o 9% of teenage girls have low-birth weight babies
o 50% of adolescents who have a baby become pregnant again within two years of

the first birth
o The second baby born to an adolescent mother is at risk than the first baby
to be low birth weight
o The children of adolescent mothers are at increased risk than the first baby

to be low birth weight
o The children of adolescent mothers are at risk for being a teen parent
themselves
o Every 26 seconds another adolescent becomes pregnant
o Every 56 seconds another adolescent gives birth
o 85% of all teenage pregnancies are unplanned
o 13% of all U.S. births are to teenagers
o 80% of teenage pregnancies occur outside of marriage
o 9 million children living in welfare families
o The fathers born to teenage mothers are likely to be older than the women
o Teenagers account for 31% of all non-marital births
o The younger the mother the greater the risks of complications for both
mother

and child
o 2/3 of never married mothers now raise their children in poverty
o Children of teen mothers are far more likely than the children of older, two

parent families to fall behind and drop out of school. Their also at risk of
getting into trouble with the law, to abuse drugs and join gangs, to have
children of their own out of wedlock, and to become dependant on welfare.
o The majority of all teens in the U.S. have sexual intercourse by the time
they reach 12th grade
o 1/4 of all unintended teen pregnancies occur to adolescents using no birth
control
o Approximately 70% of all pregnant adolescents do not receive adequate
prenatal care, when in reality, they are the group that needs care the most
o Recent studies reveal that up to 2/3 of teen mothers have a history of
sexual

abuse
o School failure (not in all cases) often follows early childbearing,
pregnancy, and sexual intercourse
o Teens often have poor eating habits and may smoke, drink alcohol, and take
drugs, increasing the risk that their babies will be born with health problems
o Pregnant teens are least likely of all maternal are groups to get early and

regular parental care
o 1/3 of teens moms drop out of school


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy


By: Rebekah Behrens

TEEN PREGNANCY by Shalsei Monthei

           Teen pregnancy has become very popular in the United States. There is an estimate of one million teen pregnancies in the U.S alone. This is a hige statistic that just keeps climbing higher, and higher. About 85% of these pregnancies are unplanned, and that just leads to neglect, and abortion. There is help for pregnant teens that some people just don't understand.
          There are more risks to the baby being more to teen moms. They are more likely to experience health, social and emotional problems. Teen moms that give birth are more likely to deliver premature birth babies, and have complications. Teen mothers are less likely to gain an adequate amount of weight, resulting in a low birth rate for the baby.
           As the children born to teen mothers grow, they tend to have poorer health than that of children born to adult mothers. 60% of children born to adult mothers were said to have "excellent" health, compared to 38% for children born to teen moms. High teen birth rates are an important concern because teen mothers and their babies face increased risks to their health, and their opportunities to build a future are diminished. Babies born to teen mothers are more likely to die in their first year of life, compared to that of babies born to adult women.
           Teenage bith rates rose in 2007 for the second year in a row. The teen bith rates in the U.S exceed any other country. Over 10% of births in 2006 were to teenage mothers. Statistics show that 3 in 10 teen girls become pregnant before the age of 20. About 1 in 4 teens have a second baby within two years of the birth of their first.

           Teenage preganancy is becoming a huge issue, and the statistics keep increasing. It has become so popular in the United States that they now have two shows about it. 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom. Even though both of these shows show the complications with having a baby at such a youg age, if the studies wern't as high of teen pregancy in the first place then their would be no need for these shows to begin with.

 http://pregnancy.about.com/od/teenpregnancy/a/Teen-Pregnancy.htmens
http://www.cpeip.fsu.edu/resourceFiles/resourceFile_78.pdf
http://www.marchofdimes.com/medicalresources_teenpregnancy.html

ABORTIONS by Ethan Rohner

Abortions are very common. In fact, more than 1 out of 3 women in the U.S. have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old. If you are trying to decide if abortion is the right choice for you, you probably have many things to think about. Learning the facts about abortion may help you in making your decision. If you are under 18, your state may require one or both of your parents to give permission for your abortion or be told of your decision prior to the abortion. However, in most states you can ask a judge to excuse you from these requirements.

Worldwide there is approximately 42 million abortions per year, 1.37 million in the us. 52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%. While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely. 64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%. Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical". Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions; Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%; Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%; Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%. 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient). 52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy. An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion. 48% of all abortion facilities provide services after the 12th week of pregnancy. 9 in 10 managed care plans routinely cover abortion or provide limited coverage. About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds, virtually all of which are state funds. 16 states (CA, CT, HI, ED, IL, MA , MD, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA and WV) pay for abortions for some poor women. See linked for statistics http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

 J.C. Willke has divided the methods of abortion into three main categories: those that invade the uterus and kill the child by instruments which enter the uterus through the cervix; those that kill the preborn child by administration of drugs and then induce labor and the delivery of a dead baby; and, those that invade the uterus by abdominal surgery. Dilation of the uterus is required in cervical methods of abortion. The usual method of dilation is to insert a series of instruments of increasing size into the cervix. A set of dilators, metallic curved instruments, are used to open the cervix sufficiently to accommodate the instruments of abortion. In contrast with a normal birth, where the dilation occurs slowly over a period of many hours, the forceful stretching by the abortionist to open the cervix takes a matter of seconds. This premature and unnatural stretching of the cervix can result in permanent physical injury to the mother. Laminaria (dehydrated material, usually seaweed) is sometimes used to reduce damage to the cervix. Inserted into the cervix the day before the scheduled abortion, it absorbs water and swells, gradually pushing open the cervix in the process.

It may seem like abortion will wipe away this situation and you can just move on. It’s not that simple. Abortion is not just a simple medical procedure. For many women, it is a life changing event with significant physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. Most women who struggle with past abortions say that they wish they had been told all of the facts about abortion and its risks. This surgical abortion is done throughout the first trimester. Depending upon the provider and the cost, varying degrees of pain control are offered ranging from local anesthetic to full general anesthesia. For very early pregnancies (4-7 weeks LMP), local anesthesia is usually given. Then a long, thin tube is inserted into the uterus. A large syringe is attached to the tube and the embryo is suctioned out.
Towards the end of the first trimester, the cervix needs to be opened wider to complete the procedure because the fetus is larger. This may require a two day process where medications are placed in the vagina, or a thin rod made of seaweed is inserted into the cervix to gradually soften and open the cervix over night. The day of the procedure, the doctor may need to further stretch open the cervix using metal rods. This is usually painful so local or general anesthesia is typically needed. Next, the doctor inserts a plastic tube into the uterus and then applies suction. Either electric or manual suction machines are commonly used. Manual Vacuum Aspirators (MVA) are becoming more popular in the U.S. The suction pulls the fetus’ body apart and out of the uterus. The doctor may also use a loop-shaped tool called a curette to scrape the fetus and fetal parts out of the uterus. (The doctor may refer to the fetus and fetal parts as the “products of conception.”)

 So the truth is abortions are very risky and they do cause brain trauma and guilt for killing a unborn child. Your choice.

http://www.optionline.org/questions/considering-abortion/

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion-4260.asp