Trends in Adolescent Rapid Repeat Pregnancy in Canada

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Health
• Adolescent Health
• Neonatal Outcomes

Background:

• Rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP), defined as a birth within 33 months of a previous birth, is a significant concern in adolescent populations.
• Adolescents experience RRP rates between 25%-35% and face potential adverse neonatal outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine trends in adolescent RRP in Canada.
• To investigate the maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with adolescent RRP.

Main Methods:

• Population-based data from Canada's Discharge Abstract Database (2004/2005-2014/2015) were analyzed.
• Maternal and newborn records were linked for women younger than 20 years at their index birth.
• Conditional logistic regression models assessed the odds of adverse outcomes in RRPs versus first pregnancies.

Main Results:

• Over 67,000 adolescent pregnancies were analyzed, with 32.9% experiencing RRP.
• RRP rates varied significantly by province/territory, ranging from 24.5% in British Columbia to 47.3% in Manitoba.
• While overall maternal and neonatal morbidity were similar between first and second pregnancies, adolescents had decreased odds of having small-for-gestational-age infants in RRPs (0.4%).

Conclusions:

• Adolescents are at high risk for rapid repeat pregnancies.
• The odds of maternal and neonatal morbidity are comparable between first and second pregnancies in adolescents.
• A notable finding is the reduced likelihood of small-for-gestational-age infants in adolescent RRPs.