[Obstetric decisions concerning adolescents vs. adults]

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Limited and contradictory data exist on cesarean section (CS) and vaginal delivery (VD) rates in adolescents.
• Previous studies often compare heterogeneous populations, confounding results.
• Adolescent pregnancy outcomes require clarification, particularly regarding delivery mode differences compared to adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate delivery mode frequency (CS vs. VD) in first-time adolescent mothers compared to first-time adult mothers.
• To determine if age itself is a risk factor for CS in nulliparous women without systemic pathologies.
• To identify potential reasons for observed differences in delivery methods between adolescent and adult populations.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study of 121 nulliparous adolescents (≤17 years) and 121 nulliparous adults (20-27 years) without systemic pathologies.
• Data collected from the Instituto Nacional de Perinatología during the same period.
• Comparison of prenatal care, gestational age at delivery, indications for obstetric procedures, perinatal mortality, and delivery mode (CS vs. VD).

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in prenatal care visits, gestational age at delivery, indications for obstetric procedures, or perinatal mortality between the groups.
• Cesarean section rates were significantly higher in the adult group compared to the adolescent group.
• Vaginal delivery was more frequent in the adolescent population studied.

Conclusions:

• In this specific cohort, adolescent age was not a risk factor for cesarean delivery.
• Cesarean section was unexpectedly more frequent in adult women, warranting further investigation.
• Additional research is needed to elucidate the factors contributing to higher CS rates in adult first-time mothers.