Outcome of teenage pregnancy

Two hundred consecutive cases up to 19 years of age admitted for confinement at The Nowrosjee Wadia Maternity Hospital, Bombay, were studied. Out of these 200 girls, 6 were unmarried, 51 were anaemic, 20 had toxaemia of pregnancy. Six girls (43%) in the age group 15-17 years delivered prematurely as compared to only 26 girls (14%) in the age group of 17-19 years. This difference is statistically significant. Also, only, 4 girls (29%) in the age group of 15-17 years had full term normal delivery as compared to 113 girls (61%) in the age group of 17-19 years signifying that the outcome of pregnancy becomes worst in girls below the age of 17 years. Ten babies (71%) of mothers in the age group of 15-17 years were LBW as compared to 75 babies (44%) of mothers in the age group of 17-19 years signifying that the incidence of LBW babies is inversely proportional to maternal age. Teenage pregnant girls needed more attention for prevention and treatment of preeclampsia eclampsia, anaemia, prematurity and LBW.