Antenatal Care and Weight Gain in Adolescent Compared to Adult Pregnancy

The aim of this study is to compare the antenatal care, body weight, and weight gain in pregnancy between the adolescent and adult pregnancies and, thus, examine the impact of adolescence on the studied parameters.

This prospective study includes 300 pregnant women who were the patients of University Clinical Center Tuzla, Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics from January 2011 to December 2014. The women were divided into two groups: an experimental group consisted of 150 adolescent pregnant women aged 13-19 years and a control group consisted of 150 adult pregnant women aged 20-35 years. The following parameters were analyzed: age of pregnant women, number of antenatal controls in pregnancy, prepregnancy body weight, weight gain in pregnancy, parity, and obstetric history data.

A significantly higher number of adolescent pregnant women belongs to a subgroup from one to two examinations during pregnancy (P < 0.000013) and to subgroups from three to five examinations (P < 0.000001). A significantly smaller number of adolescent pregnant women performed their first antenatal control in the first 2 lunar months (P < 0.01). A subgroup with optimal body weight (from 51 to 69 kg) are the most prevalent among adolescent pregnant women (P < 0.000001). A significantly larger number of adolescent pregnant women had an optimal weight gain of 7.8 to 12.99 kg (P < 0.001).

The adolescent pregnant women have suboptimal antenatal care, which could lead to adverse maternal and birth outcomes, but have optimal body weight and weight gain during pregnancy.